Wednesdays
by FandomQueen713
Summary: One is abused, yet loved by everyone, having friends. The other is forgotten by most, always overlooked, always second choice. But Annabeth and Percy understand each other- the pain life seems to be. And they learn things can get better
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is FandomQueen713 with another story! I swear, at random moments, I'll decide to write a bunch and update everything, and then weeks will go by without me doing anything. XD**

 **Whatever, I don't need you all judging me XD. I am here with a new Percabeth Mortal AU. This will alternate between Annabeth and Percy's POV. Rated T for some language and abuse.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Even I'm not stupid enough to claim that I own any of these characters...**

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

It's not easy being the forgotten one. Annabeth Chase had always been cast aside, overlooked. Her mom, Minerva Pallas had left her as a baby, leaving Annabeth with Annabeth's dad, Frederick Chase. But he had never wanted her.

Within two years, Frederick had remarried and within 7 years, became a father of two twins. Annabeth hated her five year younger stepbrothers. Susan Chase, Annabeth's stepmom, and Frederick had completely ignored Annabeth, putting all the attention on the twins. And unlike it is with many older siblings, it wasn't just a phase.

Annabeth grew up independently, hating the idea of love and family, because of how unloved and rejected she was. She had never experienced a time in her life when she was needed or cared about by her family. Minerva Pallas became a multimillionaire architect, and owned several companies. From time to time, Minerva had talked to Annabeth, a phone call every three years or so..

But it wasn't enough for a child- a child needed so much more love, help, and support.

When Annabeth was 8, she had learned to close herself off from everyone; why should she want love, when love was the thing that tore everything apart, the thing that drove a wedge between Annabeth and everything else. Or more, the lack of it.

When Annabeth was 10, she found who she thought was her lifelong best friend- Thalia Grace. She was rebellious, yet Thalia seemed to accept Annabeth., especially considering both had family issues. They had a mutual understanding that neither should ask the other about family.

And it was enough for five years. Thalia made friends with others, threw parties, and caused lots of trouble, but always allowed Annabeth into everything that happened. Annabeth became invested in her studies and track, determined to prove to herself that she was something of worth, someone who could be great.

Yet when Annabeth became 17, Thalia had rose up into popularity, while Annabeth had sunk lower- she was unnoticed, rejected.

That is, until Percy Jackson.

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Percy Jackson seemed to be a carefree, happy guy. He was the star of the swim team, one of the most popular guys, and always cared about everyone. He shared laughter with nearly everyone he came across. Percy always made sure that all his friends and classmates saw him almost always relaxed and positive.

Yet on the inside, Percy thought of himself as broken. On the inside, Percy wanted to kill himself, wanted to end his life to stop the pain.

Percy was abused. Gabe Ugliano had married Sally Jackson, Percy's mom, when he was 10. And since the age of 12, when Sally Jackson had died, Percy had been abused by him. Scars covered Percy's back and a bit of his upper arms at the worst injuries. The ones where Gabe threw the glass bottle at him, or when he had been beat nearly unconscious by the belt.

Percy hid his inner pain well, and feigned clumsiness a lot, so none of his friends would ever suspect his secret. It was a strategy that worked on the outside.

But on the inside, Percy felt like he was dead. Some nights, Percy had to cry himself to sleep. Not because of the pain- he barely felt pain anymore, but because of the fear.

It's a strange feeling, to be afraid of going home, afraid to be looked at, for fear that you would become even more shattered.

So, Percy wasn't exactly the happiest guy. He had been through more than most seventeen year olds his age. It didn't affect him too much. Percy just had to learn to close off the side of him that had the sadness, depression, and the anger.

Few saw it. Percy's closest friends, Luke, Jason, and Grover, knew nothing of it. Not even Thalia, Luke's girlfriend, Jason's one year older sister, and Percy's cousin, could see anything was wrong with him. But some days, when Gabe was out 'working', Percy stood at the rickety kitchen, wondering if today was the day he would take the knife and end it. End everything.

The only thing that stopped him was the fact that in one year, Percy could move out and leave this life he called torture. He could use his rights as an adult and start a new life, leaving his past life behind him. Sure, his friends were amazing, but they would never want to deal with him if they knew about Percy's backstory.

Percy had everything planned out. Wait until he became 18, move out, and start over. Heal his broken self with time.

But sometimes, plans don't always end up working the way you think...

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Annabeth was used to being ignored. She rarely said much in classes, even though she knew all the answers, and was placed in AP classes, determined to get into a good college and prove everyone wrong. At lunch, she sat alone, back against a wall. And at home, well, at home her dad and stepmom rarely even noticed if she was around or not.

But the one time she didn't seem to fade into the background was at track meets. Annabeth was an incredibly fast runner, and she enjoyed running; it was nice to feel like she was choosing to leave everyone, rather than the other way around.

One day, Annabeth was stretching for a practice, when Perseus Jackson approached her. He was probably just here to support Jason's girlfriend, Piper.

"Hey, its Annabeth, right?" Percy asked, grinning down at her.

Annabeth straightened up and looked at him disinterestedly. "If you're here to do your 'I'm a nice guy' act, maybe you'll have better luck if you leave and find some other victim." She finished sarcastically.

To her surprise, he laughed. "Well then, I have made it my personal goal to have you lighten up, Annabeth. But I was just going to ask if Piper and Jason are here yet." He smirked at her, and for the first time, Annabeth felt like blushing.

"Whatever, and they should be behind the bleachers, making out behind the stands."

Percy snorted. "Who would've ever thought that Jason would do something like that?"

Annabeth gave a shrug, unsure why he was talking to her. "No one, but we all know Piper would. Even knowing that Coach Hedge would kill him if he finds out."Annabeth added, gesturing towards the track coach. Hedge thought that even a kiss would lead to sexual things, and was very... against most PDA.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I know. He's the swim coach too, and you should've seen how much he freaked out when Luke pecked Thals for luck before the competition." Annabeth tried to keep a blank face at his words. Thalia and Annabeth had grown apart, and hadn't really done much since.

A whistle was suddenly sharply blown by Coach Hedge and Annabeth started to hear over. A warm hand clasped hers, handed over a ship of paper.

Percy spoke. "Here's my number."

Annabeth was startled, but kept a calm tone. "Not interested."

Percy gave another laugh, and Annabeth was confused. Was he laughing at her confusion? "Just because you're a pretty girl doesn't mean I'm asking you out. Did you already forget about my offer of making you my 'victim'?" Annabeth felt herself start to redden, so she turned away, jogging towards Coach Hedge. She chanced a glance at the paper, and did her best to memorize those numbers. She had never met someone who could leave her to end up blushing, someone who could actually outwit her. And why did Annabeth ever think Percy was asking her out? Annabeth was just that outsider, the random unknown girl, and Percy was a popular outgoing guy who was loved by everyone. There were even girls at the school who constantly threw themselves at him- Calypso Atlas, Rachel Dare, and their crew of girls.

There was no reason for Percy to like her.

But why did Annabeth's heart start to flutter at the thought of him?

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Percy had no idea why he had talked with Annabeth. He had noticed her stretching, aside from all the other girls, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her gray eyes seemed to hold a fire within, so it wasn't surprising that she had so much sarcasm. Percy sat down in the bleachers next to Jason, watching Annabeth. He had thought he would regret agreeing to drive Jason here, but maybe something good had come from it. After all, Annabeth seemed cool enough. She seemed to understand that life was just a series of sadness. And Percy couldn't deny that her gorgeous blonde hair and long legs were distracting. _No! Forget it!_ Percy told himself. There was no point thinking of things like that when he would have to leave this life behind in a year.

Annabeth sprinted past Piper in the last few seconds, over passing all her teammates as she crossed the finish line. Coach Hedge recorded her time, and then talked with her. Jason grinned at Piper, who was retying her brown hair into a braid. Percy stared at Annabeth as she nodded, then left to get her stuff and leave. Annabeth came out of the locker room, and started talking to Piper worriedly. Piper beckoned Percy and Jason to come.

"Perce, is it ok if Annabeth catches a ride with us? Her parents aren't able to get her and she doesn't have her car?" Piper looked towards Annabeth for confirmation, and after the blonde nodded, Piper looked towards Percy.

"Yeah, definitely. Come on, let's go."

The four left, and Piper and Jason instantly called the back seats, throwing this stuff into them back of the worn out car. Percy bit his lip.

"I know it's probably no where near as good of a car as you have, but it works great, and my..family can't afford a better one." Translation: Percy had to earn the money for this second hand car from their neighbor because Gabe certainly wouldn't get one for him. Annabeth shrugged.

"Well, it's better than my car: mainly because I don't have one. I use my dad's usually, but

he needed it today.." Annabeth avoided his questioning glance at her lie and she got in the car.

Percy, after a moment of hesitation, joined her, starting up the engine.

Annabeth was certainly different. But Percy liked that.

"Really, Piper? Already trying to swallow poor Jason? I thought you want him to survive long enough for you two to _finally_ have-" Annabeth's joking response got cut off by Piper's punch in the arm, and Annabeth laughed. "Hey, you're the one who kept going on and on about how big you thought his-" Annabeth got punched harder this time, and she quieted. Percy looked in the mirror to see both Jason and Piper red with embarrassment, and then gave a quick glance to Annabeth who was smirking.

Yep, he definitely liked her. As a friend of course. But how had he never really noticed her before today?

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Annabeth pretended not to notice Percy's gaze at her. After dropping Piper and Jason off, Percy blushed. "Oh, I forgot to ask where to drop you off."

Annabeth hid a smile. "It's on Athens Lane. Just take a left in-"

Percy interrupted her. "Oh, I know where that is. You live by Luke Castellan, right?" Annabeth felt herself redden. Before Thalia and Luke started dating, she had had a small crush on Luke because he had been one of the few people to actually notice her. Within the last two years though, Thalia had slowly became closer to Luke than Annabeth, until the two were dating. She now felt a little pang in her heart every time she saw the two of them.

Percy noticed her silence, and swerved the cat into a parking lot. "Annabeth, what ever happened with you and Thals? I know that a year back at our family get together, you two were still supposedly really close and Thalia wouldn't stop talking about you. But this year she hasn't even mentioned you." Annabeth shrugged, acting indifferent.

Percy sighed. "Annabeth, my deal was to help you lighten up. The only way that can happen is if you talk to me. "

Annabeth stayed quiet, staring at the road. She could probably walk to her house from here, and sooner or later he'd forget about her. Everyone always did.

Percy let out another sigh, before starting up the engine. "Look, I'm not forcing you to tell me anything, but I know what it's like to go through something hard. That's pretty much been my whole life," Percy added angrily. "Look, just call me. It's not a good feeling to be alone with your problems... trust me." They reached her neighborhood, and Annabeth felt shocked. Percy had gone through something bad? It probably wasn't anywhere near as bad as her issue with being forgotten, but still; it was surprising to think Percy Jackson ever went through anything hard in his life. He was one of the most outgoing people in their school.

Annabeth got out, gave a quick thanks, and entered her house. No surprise, her dad and stepmom were home. That story she gave Piper about not being able to get picked up? A lie. Her parents just took both cars today, probably completely forgetting that she drove with it, and she had to walk to school.

Annabeth honestly had no idea why she asked for a ride. Maybe she wanted to know people were willing to be there for her. Maybe she was just desperate. Either way, she was surprised at how easily Percy agreed, and accepted her lie, because he definitely knew she was lying. Annabeth headed to the table where her stepmom was making food.

"Hey, Annabeth! How was school? Make any new friends?" She asked halfheartedly. Annabeth just shrugged.

 _What point is there in trying to be noticed when by tomorrow she would be forgotten again?_

Annabeth snagged a banana, and trudged up to her room, lugging her track bag and backpack behind her. Once inside her small crowded room, she dumped the bags against the floor. Peeling the banana skin, Annabeth sat against her bed and sighed. Her coach had told her that Annabeth's running times were improving and that college scouts would be looking for her soon. Annabeth had been shocked that college scouts were thinking of giving her scholarships.

After all, why would a girl who was barely remembered by her family be anything special?

 ** _Percy's POV_**

If Percy was to be honest, he would have admitted that he had delayed getting home today by driving his friends anywhere. Today was a Wednesday, which for whatever reason, tended to be hectic at Gabe's mechanic shop. Which basically meant, Percy tended to be more hurt than usual on Wednesdays.

Percy hated Wednesday's.

He passed into his neighborhood, which admittedly wasn't far from Annabeth's and slowly parked his car. Trembling slightly, Percy pressed his hand into his pocket casually, and opened the door.

He was met with the scent of beer and sweat. Oh good, Gabe was on alcohol again. Percy thought sarcastically, attempting to quietly close the door. Of course, it wasn't enough. Gabe walked into the front room of their apartment and stumbled forward, glaring at Percy.

Percy slowly stepped forward, walking towards the steps, his shoulders tense. " _Maybe today I'll be lucky. Maybe today I won't get hit."_

He was not lucky. Later on, Percy drifted back into consciousness and found himself heavily bleeding, glass shards all over him. His face was dotted with tears.

He barely felt the pain anymore, the pain of knowing that coming home is like torture, the pain of knowing that this wouldn't have happened if his mom hadn't died, if his dad, whoever he was, took him in.

Percy washed off the glass, tried his best to stop the flow of blood, and did his best to figure out how to cover up any bruises or scars left behind.

But he could never cover up that hole in his heart, which had been hard since the age of twelve.

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Annabeth had to admit, when she texted Percy the next day, asking if he'd pick her up, she never expected him to actually do so. It was a temporary lapse of judgement, to text him, but for whatever reason, he responded almost instantly, telling her he was on his way.

Annabeth stood outside, her hands shoved inside her favorite coat's gray pockets, backpack slung over one shoulder. She was wearing ripped jeans, and black boots.

Percy arrived in his truck, and when he saw Annabeth, he gave a nod and she got in. Annabeth looked at him concerned. His body was tense, his skin blotted with some powder?, and he was avoiding her gaze.

As much as she wanted to ask what's wrong, she didn't want to make him feel as though he was forced to talk to her. No doubt he already regretted talking with her yesterday.

They neared the school in silence, Annabeth determined to gaze at the window. For whatever reason, she had thought a lot about Percy the night before. Percy, the only person who really noticed her, who didn't make her feel invisible. But of course he would never think of her. Never remember her.

Annabeth was that girl that always blended into the crowd. Her gray eyes were the only thing about her looks that stood out; other than that, she was just your normal athletic blonde- tall and lean yet strong.

Percy parked his car, and they walked into the school in silence. Annabeth swallowed, took a deep breath, and avoiding looking at whatever was on his face, she spoke.

"Thanks for the ride. I guess I'll see you around." Without waiting for an answer, Annabeth turned on her heel, prepared to leave. Percy stretched out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey, my deal still applies. I'm going to make you the most positive and happy person ever. Are you free Friday night?" Annabeth resisted her urge to blush, and gave a nod.

"I'll see you then, Percy."

He gave an unforced lopsided smile. And now that Annabeth thought about it, almost everything he had done that looked happy seemed forced. His smiles with his friends didn't always seemed to reach his eyes, his laughs sometimes half hearted.

Annabeth walked off, pondering. What could possibly have happened to Percy to have to pretend to be happy?

 ** _Percy's POV_**

After that display with Annabeth, Percy was teased by his friends for liking her. It was of course completely untrue, kind of, but he simply laughed. There was no point in causing drama with these friends who didn't realize how tortorous and pain filled life could be. And why tell them anything? Just because Percy might have started to feel something for Annabeth, it didn't meant anything. After he graduated, he was going to leave everyone anyways, so no point in acting upon his feelings.

Percy started to come to most of Annabeth's teach meets, and she, in return started coming to his swim practices. They now carpooled, and it was apparently common gossip that 'Percy Jackson was dating a nerdy loser?!' Which was untrue, he might add.

Thalia started jokingly shipping them, and Annabeth always reddened and seemed uncomfortable. She kept looking at Luke with embarrassment, and Percy was wondering what had happened there. He considered asking Luke or Thalia, but he knew that the best thing to do was wait until Annabeth finally opened up to him. She was pretty closed off, and he knew next to nothing about her, but Percy was determined to understand the Goode High School's track star and top student.

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

If Annabeth were to be completely honest, she didn't hate Percy's company. Percy always seemed to be fine with her separation from others and her introverted personality. He didn't push for details, and Annabeth found herself spending more and more time with him. Yes, her parents forgot about her, but Percy didn't really, and that was enough.

Annabeth also had to stop herself from asking why Percy had so many bruises. He claimed to be clumsy, but Annabeth doubted that, seeing as his movements were always smooth and fluid.

But either way, the two became fairly close.

One Wednesday, Percy and Annabeth were both at her house. They had crowded onto the couch, playing a video game (which Annabeth was totally destroying him at), and Percy suddenly set aside his controller to stretch. The hem of his tshirt rid up his abdomen, and Annabeth caught sight of yet another scar on him. Percy noticed her gaze, and looked away, avoiding eye contact.

"Percy, why don't we ever hang out at your house?" Annabeth asked evenly. She had suspicions, but wanted to make sure before assuming anything.

Percy cleared his throat, attempting to seem natural. "Oh, my stepdad just doesn't.. like visitors... that's all." He was unconvincing, and visibly winced at his obvious lie.

Annabeth arched an eyebrow. She wasn't used to being the one to start conversations and such. She wasn't used to being the one who had to take action, the one who had to do something. So she did nothing.

But of course, it was a Wednesday.

And it's worst on Wednesday's.

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Percy had started spending more time with Annabeth than a lot of his other friends. Yeah, he still went to parties, and hung out with them when they invited him places, but it was now a common routine to hang out with Annabeth at lunch, and sometimes spend some time after schools with her. She had a really sarcastic attitude, and never seemed to push Percy into doing things, as if understanding that life was just a series of activities until death.

She also seemed so isolated from everyone else, unlike Percy who had thrust himself into everyone else's lives to hide any of his pain and to distract himself. Annabeth never had to pretend to be anyone else for someone- but because she didn't let anyone into her life.

Except for Percy.

Annabeth had seemed unfamiliar with it. Yes, she had friends, but not someone super close who she spent all her time with. As far as Percy could tell, he was the first, and he was honored.

Though she deserves someone far better than him.

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth yelled out, as Percy had to veer around another car. They were going to be late so Percy had thrown aside some driving courtesies, knowing Annabeth would kill him if she was late.

"Seaweed Brain?" Percy asked confused, as he sped up, desperate to overtake another car.

"Because you are so oblivious and you spend a lot of time in the water," Annabeth said hurriedly. "Now are you sure you got your license?"

Percy laughed. "Yeah, Wise Girl. No one would ever want you to be in a car driven by some lunatic who didn't know how to drive..."

Annabeth actually snorted at that. "And really? Wise Girl is the best insult you could think of?" She clicked her tongue.

Percy checked the time. 2 minutes until they had to be there. He veered around another car, barely making a yellow light before abruptly parking in a slot.

Together they grabbed their stuff, running. They barely managed to get to Greek on time, and Mr. Bruner raised an eyebrow at them as the bell rang. Percy slid into his back row seat, breathing heavily. Annabeth seemed to have already recovered being on the track team, and she was hurriedly taking out her notebook and pencil. Percy stared at the back of her head as Brunner talked. Her blonde hair bounced around, as she bent over her notebook, scrawling something down. Percy couldn't help but wonder why she always seemed to disappear with the crowd. In his eyes, she seemed to stand out, different, but in a good way.

Annabeth Chase was a mystery to him. A mystery he was going to find out.

The bell suddenly rang, and Percy shoved his stuff into his backpack, slinging it on a shoulder as he sauntered out. He turned last minute, noticing Annabeth as the last one to leave. She always was.

Annabeth absentmindedly rubbed her thigh, as though it was in pain, before she walked out. Percy stared after her, wondering what could have caused that.

Grover and Jason both joked with him during lunch , but Percy wasn't fully listening. He watched as Annabeth got some lunch and sat against a wall, alone. She pulled out some earbuds to listen to music while she ate.

Percy was so surprised by this. Annabeth always seemed to enjoy his company, yet she was always so alone. Percy had always thought of her as the girl who pushed everyone else away, but he was now wondering if maybe Annabeth thought everyone else pushed her away. Annabeth was always so isolated- did she think that no one wanted her company? That she didn't deserve that?

Percy was so lost in thought, he didn't even realize Luke had gotten to the table and sat down across from Thalia until Annabeth looked up, shooting a longing and hateful gaze at Thals.

Percy broke off from his daze then, getting up. He ignored Grover and Jason's surprised yelps as he got his stuff and headed towards Annabeth. Percy plopped down beside her, fixing a stare at her. "What is up with you and Thalia?" He asked, not even caring as she stated at him in surprise by the fact that he had just joined her.

Annabeth bit her lip, shrugging. She made her eyes almost emotionless, almost able to cover up any of her internal thoughts and feelings.

Almost.

Percy slunk his hand up to her chin, staring at her with such raw emotion, he could see her gulp. He didn't care what his other friends were thinking, about what must have been going through their heads as Percy had sat beside Annabeth.

Percy bent his head towards her. "Why do you hide yourself away from everyone? Why do you separate yourself from everyone? Wise Girl, I know what it's like to want to be away from everyone else. I've had that raw feeling of having to leave everyone eat me up inside, that sadness and anger boiling up inside me. Yet I've never tried to push them away. Why do you? Don't you know people want to be around you? Don't you know that?" Percy finished his rant boldly, leaning in so his head touched Annabeth's. He forgot that he would have to leave her in the end- have to leave everyone within one year. Percy moved closer, until he could feel Annabeth's breath on his lips.

He moved his hand to her cheek, as she stared at him with bold gray eyes, unmoving.

Before she closed the gap between them.

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Annabeth hadn't known Percy for very long. But in those moments, he had shared such care, been so honest and understanding.

In those few moments, Annabeth had realized she had liked him. But she was used to having unrequited live for someone. And heck, countless girls had liked him.

The moment Percy had placed his hand on her cheek, she realized that he had feelings for her too. Annabeth had realized that Percy Jackson, the popular boy who everyone loved, who has went through the pain of his mom dying, who had went through so much more than people knew, Percy Jackson had cared for Annabeth. He hadn't overlooked her. He had seen her for her, and Percy had stuck with her.

So Annabeth had let her emotions get the better of her as she leaned into kiss him, closing her eyes. His green eyes fluttered close against her face as their lips moved together. Annabeth forgot the sounds of people nearby eating lunch, talking, screaming. She felt her heart puns as she leaned closer, wanting to melt into this kiss.

Annabeth had been kissed before, but never like this. She had never understood that feeling of wanting to just dissolve from pure happiness by a kiss. Until now.

Annabeth finally pulled away, breathless. Gasping for hair, and no doubt heavily blushing, Annabeth looked around to see that no one had noticed. No one had seen what Percy and Annabeth had just shared with one another. The world was still spinning, time still went by. It was as if nothing had changed.

With one kiss, nothing had changed.

Annabeth looked back into Percy's sea green eyes, which were fixated on her in shock.

With one kiss, everything had changed.

Annabeth swallowed, still staring at Percy. What was he going to do now?

Percy stared back with care in his eyes. That is, until he suddenly stood up. "Why did I do that? I shouldn't have done that! What's wrong with me?" He muttered, pressing his hand against his face.

Annabeth froze. _Percy didn't want to kiss me?_ She thought to herself, confused. She stood up, turning away and walking off.

" _Of course he wouldn't want to kiss me. Why would he? I'm just that girl who never needs or deserves attention. There's a reason I don't stand out in a crowd. I don't deserve to..."_ Annabeth thought to herself as she headed to her next class. She didn't matter, this shouldn't bother her. Percy was just doing the smart thing and realizing that she was a waste of space, that Annabeth shouldn't deserve his affection.

Annabeth could learn to accept that. After all, she always did eventually.

 **The end.**

 **I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Lol, sorry not sorry. I'm going to split this story into two or three parts... I've been working on it for a while, sorry if it's trash. If you have any suggestions on what you think should happen, I'd love a review! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, and if you hated it, I would LOVE to know why. I love criticism, as long as its constructive! **

**Review, favorite, follow, whatever! (The more I get, the faster I finish the next chapter XD. Lol, I'm kidding, but it seriously makes my day to know what you guys thought.)**

 **Oh and also, what do you think of the title? I was debating between "Wednesdays" and "The Abused and the Forgotten"... Let me know your thoughts since I'm unconfident and self conscious!**

 **Anyways, byeeeeeeee for now! If you want to read other stories that are as bad as this one, I have plenty of other PJO ones... (more shameless self promoting...)**

 **~FandomQueen713**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, it's FandomQueen713, and all I have to say is... THANK** **YOU FOR SO MANY REVIEWS, FAVORITES, AND FOLLOWS!!! Oh my gods, within just a day or two, I got so many, and you don't know how amazing that felt to me. I tried to finish this as fast as I could... though I have a serious problem with not updating things (to any of the readers for the Octavian's Revenge fanfic, I'm kind of stuck on what to write, so I haven't updated that in a while... same with Heroes of Olympus One Shots, sorry DX) What?! That wasn't self promoting!**

 **Ok, I'm sure none of you actually care about what I'm writing here, so I'll stop typing random things. I just wanted to thank you all- it really meant a lot to me.**

 **Anyways, on to the next chapter! Enjoy! (Or don't, but leave a review on why! XD)**

 **Disclaimer: While a lot of reviews said I was a pretty good writer, I am literal trash compared to Rick Riordan, so I definitely do not own any characters.**

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Percy, honestly, had no idea what to do after that whole... moment with Annabeth. Percy stood there awkwardly, staring at where Annabeth had been sitting. She had avoided him, not catching a ride from him- though Percy doubted her parents were driving her as they rarely did anything with Annabeth.

Percy hadn't really had anywhere to go to in order to avoid Gabe since then. He hated to admit it, but Annabeth and wherever she was had become a way to get away from the pain he felt constantly. The pain of having to live in fear of somewhere you were supposed to feel safe at. Annabeth had been his safe place.

Apparently, things changed with a single kiss. He lasted about two weeks, spending time with other friends instead, but it wasn't the same. In the brief amount of time Percy had really known Annabeth Chase, he had found that she understood him, understood what it was like to want to avoid her problems by leaving, understood how it felt to hide yourself from everyone. Annabeth was like him, but different.

She understood how painful it could be to have to endure life, always hiding your true self. But unlike Percy, who became a huge fake and have friends, though most didn't even completely understand him, Annabeth simply backed away from everyone else. She had simply taken a step back, as if saying, _fine, don't get to know the real me. I don't need you._

And that was something Percy could admire in her. Percy had always needed people to lean on, and for people to lean on him. Ever since his mom had passed away, Percy had felt alone, but he had taken that solitude to heart, trying to connect with everyone.

Annabeth had taken the solitude she'd known her whole life, to make her personality seem like a gift; when you got to know her personality, you loved her, enjoyed it. But once you messed up, once you threw it aside, took it for granted...

You didn't get to have it any longer. It seemed so much more valuable after you had lost it.

That was how Percy felt. It was wrong for him to play with her feelings like that. He just had to kiss her, it wasn't a want, it was a need. Percy had seen her as that one girl who understood, the one girl who had went through something similar, yet used it to make her a better person. He had kissed her- but then ended it, suddenly remembering his situation. Percy would have to leave her in the end, leave everyone.

Annabeth, by just being friends with him for this brief amount of time, she had impacted his life. Percy knew that had they dated- had they gotten closer together, the moment he had to break it off, he would have shattered.

At least now he still had a remnant of himself left.

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Annabeth hated her life. She hated herself, her ideas, her hopes, her emotions. Annabeth just had to have fallen for Percy.

But like everyone in her life, he had left her. Like everyone else, Percy had shown that no one could really care about her. No one could ever accept the real Annabeth.

And so, Annabeth did what she had always done best, Annabeth had pushed herself even further away. She had become a wallflower in everything, track season had ended, and other than the occasional times a teacher called on her, Annabeth had stopped really speaking. Her family was as oblivious as ever, and other than the vague talk with her, it was pretty clear that none of them really cared about what was going on in Annabeth's life.

Annabeth shouldn't have been surprised by Percy's betrayal. As always, beauty was laced with thornes in this sadness she called life. Perhaps in the future Annabeth might come across someone who wouldn't make her feel miserable, who wouldn't find a way into her heart, and then suddenly rip it apart with disguised claws.

That future was no time soon, it seemed.

It was strange how much Percy had affected her though. Within just that short amount of time Annabeth had known him, Percy had sneaked his way past Annabeth's wall of stone into her heart.

And then he had managed to shatter it from the inside.

But Annabeth was not one to try and confront someone about these things. She was not the kind of person who would plot against them. She was not one to tell and scream and take out her anger.

No, Annabeth Chase never took it out on others. She had learned that doing so always came to haunt people later on.

No, Annabeth had always been one to take out her internal pain and anger and conflict on herself.

 ** _Percy's POV_**

"Hey! 'Sup bro!" Jason called out, nodding at his friend. He was dancing with Piper at Luke's party, well, if you could call what Jason and Piper were doing as dancing.

They were pressed up close together and were sort of swaying against each other.

"Get a room!" Percy called out teasingly, heading over to Jason.

"Are you sure it's a smart idea to have a party on a Tuesday night?!" Percy yelled, over the music.

Jason simply shrugged, going back to rubbing against Piper.

Percy caught the cue to leave them be, and headed towards the snack table. Sure, it might not have been the _smartest_ idea to come, but Percy was trying to prove to himself that he was perfectly content with how everything was, and nothing could stop that. Nothing, especially or Annabeth.

Percy snagged a can of coke, leaning against the table as he surveyed the area. Soon enough, a couple girls had sidled their way up to Percy.

Calypso Atlas and Rachel Dare, ugh. They were the leaders of the Percy Jackson Fan Club...

"So.. Percy... finally got rid of that nerdy blonde loser?" Calypso said, laughing as she stumbled against him.

Rachel giggled. "Yeah!!! Ugh, she was sooo annoying! Like.. really... annoying.." she burst into laughter.

Percy sighed. They were probably drunk right now. "Look, as much as I'd like to talk with you... I'd rather not... " he finished awkwardly, looking for an excuse to leave. He spotted Thalia Grace. "Umm... I'm going to talk with Thals. Yeah okay, bye." He muttered, before walking towards her.

Thalia Grace was one of those girls that at first glance seemed like she would kill you if you messed with her. No, scratch that, she would kill you. And then laugh about it. But if you were her friend, she would use that deadly anger as loyalty, taking down anyone who got in your way. She has short black hair that spiked up in random places, ripped jeans, a "Death to Barbie" shirt, and had various tattoos. Basically, she was what you would imagine a stereotypical punk girl to look like.

Thalia rolled her electric blue eyes at Percy. "What do you want, Fish Breath?!" She said sarcastically.

Percy bit his lip, before leaning beside Thalia. "Not much, Pinecone Face, just trying to get away from Rachel and Calypso..."

Thalia snorted. "Good luck with that.. they practically stalk you..."

Percy sighed, before taking a breath and turning towards Thals. "What happened between you and Annabeth, Thals?"

She looks over at him curiously. "I don't know.. A few weeks after Luke and I started dating, she suddenly just stopped hanging out with us.."

Percy pressed. "And you didn't ask why? Or try to find out?!"

Thalia shrugged, half listening. "Not really. Annabeth's one of those girls that is unique and bright; she's like a flame. But once you blow her out, it's hard to get that flame back."

Percy nodded in understanding. Yeah, Annabeth was like a flame, she wasn't there for long, but when she was, she was bright and incredible. Percy himself was more like air- he fed into everyone else, helping them out, but losing part of himself at every moment, to help the others.

What was better though? Burning yourself out, but shining brightly throughout, yet few get to see it?

Or losing yourself slowly, in attempt to help others... but never fully living your life as yourself?

 **That was sort of a filler chapter, sorry guys.. I'll try to make the next longer, but I figured it might take me a while to write another 4K words, so I decided to split it apart.**

 **Thank you all for your support! I got so many reviews and favorites/follows. It felt so amazing to know that people are willing to deal with me and my trash writing consistently!! XD**

julia: **Aw! I'm glad you liked it!! I sort of failed at updating soon, but lol, I tried! XD! I hope you review again, even though my writing was pretty bad this chapter :(**

DaughterOfPoseidon: **And another amaZhang review from one of my favorite reviewers! Seriously, you're making me blush XD. Thank you SOOOOO much for the review, and I'm seriously shocked that you are willing to read my awful writing of each story. THANK YOU, and PLEASE review again *hugs* 3**

Guest1: **Thank you! And here's the continuation!!! Also, if you plan to review again (which id love XD) Could you leave a name so we both know who we are talking to? Thanks, and I really appreciated that you reviewed!!**

Guest2: **Thanks, and I loved your review! Also, please leave a name in a review (if you do review again, please do, I love to hear your opinions) so we both know who we are responding to! Thank you!!!! 3**

bookfangirl445: **Aw! Thanks! And I tried to keep writing, sorry that this chapter was meh at best XD. I hope you enjoyed!!**

Zola: **Aw omg thank you!!!!! Seriously, your review made my day!!! I hope you liked this chapter too!!! *hugs***

JC RH: **Lol, thanks! Sorry for adding the 'The End' in I guess? Idk XD. And thank you! I tried to focus a lot on what each character felt as best as I could- I'm glad it showed! And yeah, I just loveee stories where the characters are sort of underdogs and kind of go against everyone else.. And thank you again! I usually don't write enough detail and stuff, but I'm glad you appreciated that! And I'm so happy you were waiting for the next chapter, (sorry that it took a while DX) and now I'm eagerly awaiting another review from you!!!**

RosettaQueen20: **Oh, thanks! I'm glad you liked the story, and sorry for being so evil to Percy and Annabeth XD 3. THEY DONT DESERVE TO BE HURT LIKE THAT!!!! Please review again!!**

ayepercabeth: **Aw thank you!!! I'm truly amazed that you actually enjoyed it, I'm usually pretty insecure and think my writing is trash (which is is XD) but it seriously made my day to know you liked it. I hope to see a review from you again!!!**

 **And that's it! Oh my gods, seriously, I know I sound like a six year old perky girl who's just repeatedly saying thank you, but it honestly meant a lot to know that you guys supported me! I hope you all review again (because I'm greedy like that and desperate to know that I am not trash, but when I get that confirmation I deny it because I'm weird...) ... and please favorite/follow whatever! *hugs to all of you* Let's see how little I procrastinate this time!!!**

 **~FandomQueen713**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! It's FandomQueen713 with another chapter of *drumroll* Wednesdays! Okay, so this chapter is going to be a little darker than the others, and this is one of the most important ones so... yeah. I'm sorry, guys, if it's a little too dark or evil or awful, I can guarantee that the next chapter won't be as bad- I was just dealing with stuff recently, and I may have taken it out on the characters... well, you'll see.**

 **Sorry for the last chapter being short, this one should be like 5k words to make up for it.**

 **Enjoy! Or hate me for what I've done, whichever...**

 **Note: This chapter has a bit of language, some more mentions of self harm, abuse, and other dark themes. If this offends you, there's no need to continue further, but I promise you that the next chapters will not be as dark.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing- seriously, its pretty clear by now, but I'm paranoid. Just know that I own NONE of the characters. And trust me, you wouldn't want me to, after all I've done to them...**

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Often the things that hurt you the most are the things that you loved. And within a few months of really knowing Annabeth Chase, he could say he loved her. It was platonic, at first, until he realized just how deep his emotions went...

Let's just say that Percy had more than a bit of love for Annabeth Chase.

Maybe that's why it hurt him so much. Annabeth Chase had somehow found a way into Percy's heart and soul, and by shoving her away, Percy had caused his own pain. But in the end it would be worth it- in the end, that pain of hurting Annabeth like that would even put. Percy's happiness wasn't worth it after all, Annabeth deserved someone worthy of her purity, her passion, that fire inside her that never died, despite rarely ever being seen.

Losing Annabeth hadn't just hurt him emotionally; being around Annabeth had been a way to avoid Gabe on Wednesdays, but now, Percy had to go home everyday, terrified on how Gabe might be feeling. Everyday, Percy had curled up in his bed, wondering if dealing with Gabe would be worth it. It had to in the end, right?

After Percy left, he could find new friends, a new love, a new life...

The only question was, would that life be worth it?

Percy had no idea. He doubted it... he felt a hole and pang in his heart without Annabeth. Every time he saw her, she avoided him, ignoring what he did- not in a way as though she was superior, but more in the sense that she didn't think anyone could be seeking her attention.

Percy sighed. If only he hadn't had to deal with Gabe. Perhaps then, he wouldn't have to break off all his relationships, platonic and romantic. Maybe then, he could have lived a life with Annabeth.

Percy stumbled back at the thought. He... wanted to live a life with Annabeth? That was insane! Percy had only gotten to know her for a few months! There was no way Percy Jackson could like a girl that much in so short of a time.

Though, Annabeth was different. Annabeth was someone that was so unique, he could never pass by another girl like her again. Yes, every individual had their differences, but Annabeth was so uniquely her, so... herself...

Percy couldn't describe it, but he knew that Annabeth wasn't one in a million- Annabeth Chase was rarer than that.

And Percy had thrown that all away.

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Sometimes, the easiest thing to do was to avoid any change. As soon as something changed, something bad seemed to inevitable happen. When Thalia started dating Luke, and Annabeth had been super excited for her friend, Luke had attempted to kiss Annabeth. And then, he had threatened to tell Thalia that Annabeth had been the one who had betrayed her- which made sense as Annabeth had had the crush on Luke the whole time.

Yeah, since the whole "Luke incident", Annabeth had basically closed herself off from everyone entirely. She had selfishly avoided talking to Thalia about what happened, and just distanced herself. It had worked for a while- no change, no drama. And how could their be change if no one would notice her?

The sad thing was, Annabeth had still been jealous of Luke and Thalia- not that she liked Luke still, gods, who could after what he has done?- but the fact that they were free to have a relationship. Annabeth had never really had permanence in her life, and she feared change. Change symbolized a lack of stability and constancy in Annabeth's eyes.

But of course, Percy had found a way past all her defenses she had placed to keep herself safe and un-heartbroken. And then he had shattered it anyway.

Annabeth sat on her bed at home, wearing short shorts, and a t-shirt. She thought about all of this, wondering what Annabeth had done to deserve this ...

She looked down in thought, and noticed a few whitish scars hidden just beneath her shorts.

It represented her times around when she was seven, when Annabeth had cut herself.

Annabeth's stepmother had mistreated her, and that was yet another reason Annabeth had attempted to be invisible- it wasn't as though Susan Chase abused her, but it was pretty clear that she despised her stepdaughter. Annabeth had began cutting herself, and it was a way to take away her internal pain. It was a way to take out her inner hatred into herself. Annabeth's dad had found out, but being his busy self, he had only taken away sharp tools and given a quick chat on why you shouldn't self harm. He had forgotten soon after.

Annabeth didn't quite know why now, she pulled out that old army knife. She didn't quite know what had caused her to want to take out her feelings in herself. She didn't know why she was doing this.

But Annabeth did know that she had lifted her knife, and slashed. She did know that the pain she felt on the outside seemed to make her forget about her inner turmoil. The scars on the outside would be reminders of how much Annabeth hated herself on the inside. They would remind her that every time something good happened, it was always just a curse in disguise.

And maybe it was a coincidence that this day was a Wednesday.

And maybe it was a coincidence that Gabe was not in quite a good mood today for Percy.

Or maybe it was not.

 ** _~~ Line Break! Aka, yet another thing I can't do but oh well ~~_**

Annabeth woke up the next morning, prepared and ready for her long walk to school. She saw the long cut on her leg that she'd hastily bandaged, and hurriedly adjusted her shorts to cover it up. She didn't care if anyone knew she had started to cut herself again, yet she feared the thought of having people pity her for it, attempt to befriend her simply because they knew of her internal pain. No, Annabeth was not one to accept that kind of pity from people- if things weren't genuine, how could she be sure that anything could ever be permanent.

 _Though,_ Annabeth thought bitterly, _I suppose I can never have something permanent in my life..._

Finally, dropping her thoughts, Annabeth began her walk to school. As she went, she noticed Luke Castellan also walking, and he had a.. strange expression on his face. His ice blue eyes met her gray ones, and his face lit up maliciously. Crossing the street in long strides, he brushed his fingers through his wind tousled hair and leaned down at Annabeth.

She hated that he constantly made his dominance clear- the fact that he was taller wasn't the bad part, Percy and Jason were as well. No, it was the fact that Luke constantly made it seem as though he was above her, both figuratively and literally. He had always made it clear that he would have control, which led back to Annabeth's fear from a little more than a year ago, when Thalia and Luke had started dating for a while, and Luke had... attempted to go after Annabeth, to put it lightly...

Right now, Luke gazed down at her smirking. Annabeth attempted to push past him, attempting to avoid whatever was about to come.

Luke simply stepped to the side, outstretching his hands and lacing them around her waist. As strong as Annabeth was, she was unable to break from his grasp, unable to free herself. And she hated herself for that. He pressed his face closer to her until their noses were nearly touching. "Thals and I have gotten into a fight... perhaps I should relieve myself of her and instead make myself welcome to you," he said with a taunting voice. Luke was generally known as a playboy, but he always seemed like a gentleman to most girls after they got to know him. Emphasis on most. Annabeth had known Luke for a while, and she had known him before his mom had lost herself and her sanity, before the impact of Luke's dad leaving had gotten to her. Luke now used this powerful facade as a way to show that he could control his life, that he didn't need anyone to be powerful and strong and above others. Annabeth knew this-

But this knowledge was not enough to stop her from feeling terrified. She attempted to twist away, and Luke's hands shifted lower, his thumbs barely sliding beneath her shorts. Annabeth thrashed wildly. Annabeth would not, could not succumb to this fate. If she went down, she'd go down fighting.

Luke shoved her into an area between two large apartments, pushing her into this alleyway. Annabeth cried out, screaming as he loomed over her. She hated playing that sterotypical girl who relied on others to help her, but Annabeth was desperate. Luke Castellan seemed intent on raping her and Annabeth was helpless.

She screamed, tears falling down her face as she pressed against the wall. This was the kind of thing that only happened in movies, in stories. But apparently not. First period had no doubt already started, but it was unlikely anyone would notice or care about her absence. What was Luke doing? As big of an asshole that he'd been in the past, he was not the kind of guy to rape another person. She sobbed, looking into Luke's eyes.

Annabeth knew she had four options: A distraction, which was unlikely; Escape, very unlikely; Stalling, which could only last for so long; And attempting to reason with Luke. All were bad options, but she knew that it was better than letting herself be... well, harassed in such a way.

"Luke.. you don't want to do this. You're with Thalia Grace. And I was only your friend. I am simply a friend, your past friend. You don't want to hurt me like this. Luke, please. I don't know what's making you this way, but please, listen to me. You don't want to do this." She begged, curling away as Luke paused.

His eyes were before emotionless, but now, they seemed desperate. "Annie..." he muttered, using his old nickname for her. "I'm sorry."

Annabeth's mind went wild. What was going on? Luke was sorry? On the outside, she blinked helplessly.

Apparently, Luke had not lost his mind. He had not gotten drunk, or been on drugs, most likely. He seemed fairly sober, and he wasn't going to stop. Annabeth bit her lips, tears pooling out of her eyes. She had always thought she would go unnoticed. Annabeth had always thought that no one would ever think to want to be friends with her, that no one would ever consider taking a second glance at her, after pushing away from everyone.

Suddenly, she heard a shout, and something barrel towards Luke, tackling him onto the ground.

Annabeth looked down in gratitude to thank whoever had saved her. She froze in shock.

It was Perseus Jackson, and he was cut all over, bloody and clearly in pain. His sea green eyes met hers for a moment, before glaring down at Luke.

In that moment, Annabeth had seen just how much pain and fear Percy had been hiding his whole life. And it was more than she could ever have imagined.

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Gabe had been far less merciful than usual, not that he ever had much mercy. He had taken one look at Percy last night, on Wednesday, and strode over to the closet, pulling out a belt before forcing Percy to turn around and he began to whip him. Not a single word was uttered by Gabe as he beat his stepson. And afterwards, Gabe had dragged Percy to the kitchen, grabbing yet another alcoholic beverage to take a swig from. He had soon gone into some kind of drunken gaze, and Percy, limping, managed to get to his room, before collapsing on the bed.

However, the next morning, Gabe had apparently still had some unresolved issues, and he had beat him again, probably infuriated from his inevitable drunken hangover. Percy had decided against going to school that day - he couldn't let his friends see him in this way. But of course, Gabe had also decided to take the day off, getting some of his other alcoholic friends together. Percy had been sent out, still cut and clearly hurt. Gabe's friends weren't for hurting Percy, but in their intoxicated state, none of them noticed how in pain and abused Percy was.

Percy had driven off, unintentionally heading in Annabeth's house direction. Of course, he would never show himself in his current... state, but he always felt comforted around Annabeth, and he had hoped that being around her house might give himself the hope to keep going. And then, Percy had driven by and seen something going on in an alleyway.

Then he heard someone screaming for help. Percy forgot about his pain. He forgot that he was still clearly cut and hurt from Gabe; Percy instantly braked the car, jumping out and threw himself towards the guy.

Only seconds after he had done this did he realize that the guy was Luke.

And the girl? It was Annabeth.

Percy gazed up at Annabeth Chase, who was staring at him with shock and concern. Percy sat up, his hands locked onto Luke, holding him down. Luke seemed to have faded into unconsciousness after hitting his head onto the cement ground of the alleyway.

"Annabeth?" Percy whispered quietly. "Are you okay?"

She swallowed, before gazing at him. "Percy, what happened to you?" She asked, evading his question. He looked down at himself. Right, he was still hurt from Gabe's actions..

"I'm... I'm fine, Wise Girl. It's nothing new for me. But you... Luke didn't... hurt you, right?" He asked, his hand shaking as he dropped Luke to brush Annabeth's hair out of her face.

Annabeth nodded. "I- I don't think he wanted to do anything," she managed to say, through her sobs. "But if you didn't show up, I think I would've been."

Percy fell silent. Annabeth would've gotten hurt, harassed, or worse. And she hadn't had anyone who really cared what would've happened to her.

Percy was the only one who had, it seemed. And that's what hurt him the most- all Annabeth had was Percy, someone who would inevitably have to leave.

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Annabeth stared at Percy. How could she not have noticed what was happening to him? All along, Annabeth had assumed he was just struggling with his mom's death. It was so much worse... it was pretty clear that Percy was being abused by his stepdad. And while Annabeth had constantly complained to Percy about her problems with being forgotten, he had never had anyone to talk to about his problems.

Even now, Annabeth was in tears from what Luke had almost done, and Percy had ignored his own pain to save her.

 _Not now._ Annabeth told herself. She couldn't focus on that right now, she had to deal with Luke.

Annabeth started to pull out her phone from her backpack, when Percy muttered. "No." She glanced over in confusion, and the sadness in his eyes was heartbreaking. "Annabeth, please."

"What's wrong?" She asked in shock, unsure what to say or do, or what was going on.

Percy bit his lip, before gazing at her with shattered sea green eyes, his wind ruffled hair tousled as always. "Annabeth... no doubt someone as smart as you has guessed what my.. stepdad has done to me. If you call the police now, they'll realize it too. I'll be taken away... I have no other living relatives, I don't know what they'd do. Please," he murmured, cupping her cheeks. "My plan was to leave once I turned 18. I'd be an adult, I could find someway to survive." Percy's voice was so soft now that she could barely make out his words. "If you're going to call 911, could you not bring me up..."

Percy sighed stepping away. "Im being so selfish... you have to deal with Luke, and he clearly would remember that I was here. When they question him.." Percy trailed off, not finishing his words.

Annabeth stepped forward, brushing aside some of the blood splattered on him. She held out her phone, and dropped it into a bag. "Okay," she said, her grey eyes meeting his sea green ones. "I won't..."

She had no idea why she was doing this. But she trusted Percy. It made sense why he'd backed off when they kissed, not wanting to have to break things off when they were closer and he'd have to leave. Annabeth could trust Percy- he had just saved her life, had let out a piece of him no one had seen. The only problem was what they should do with Luke.

Annabeth suddenly gasped as she saw a hand grip Percy's throat. It was Luke.

 ** _Percy's POV_**

Percy felt something close around his throat, and Annabeth's eyes widen in fear.

Luke's voice whispered in his ear. "Perseus Jackson- my friend. Give her back to me, and.. no harm will come your way. Simple as that."

Percy stood still, gazing steadily at Annabeth. He mouthed _Run!_ to her but she didn't listen. He saw her grey eyes, previously emotional and full of tears, harden with anger, as she stormed up to Luke, and kicked him in the shin. Hard.

Luke gave a cry and released Percy briefly, giving him enough time to grab Luke's arms and hold them behind Luke's back.

Annabeth smiled gratefully at Percy, before stopping at the sight of Percy's bruises and scars from Gabe. Taking a deep breath, she broke eye contact with Percy, instead turning to Luke.

"Speak." She said, with strength Percy had seen in the proud, fearless girl he'd first met.

Luke glared, attempting to struggle out of Percy's iron grip, a futile attempt. Giving up, Luke gazed studiously at her. "Annie... don't blame me." He said quietly, with care in his voice. Percy grimaced at that. What could possibly be going on? Luke had betrayed Annabeth- she couldn't possibly forgive him! Right?

Annabeth's eyes softened slightly. "Luke... when I was seven, you were one of the only people who had accepted me. I found a home, a family with you, yet by the time we were 11, that was over. And then, I thought I loved you, and you chose Thalia at age 13. But then..." Annabeth's voice darkened, starting to become tinged with rage. "But then, you tried to kiss me. You tried to take advantage of me, so I backed off. I left you and Thals alone. I gave up everything, EVERYTHING, to avoid having to deal with this. I tried to talk to Thalia about leaving you, yet she never listened. But you're back again to try and go after me?? What the f*ck, Luke?!" Annabeth was visibly pissed now, stepping forward. "I trusted you! We were friends, you said we were family! And now you try and do this?! Why? And how could you?! I don't care about whatever the hell your problems were with your mom! I don't care anymore! All my life, I hid my own issues, my own problems, my family issues. I never changed myself to be someone else. And yet you- Luke Castellan, you acted like some kind of player, some idiotic waste of space after you dealt with your issues. And I never really judged you for this. Never. But you have the nerve to try and- to try and rape me?" The last words for so weak, yet so full of anger.

Luke glanced at her sadly, motionless in Percy's hands. Percy was shocked. Annabeth Chase had gone through so much, hid so much for Luke, and THIS was how he repaid her?!

Luke took a deep breath, probably to answer, but he got cut off by a shout.

"LUKE CASTELLAN!!!!"

 **I know, I know, I'm an awful person, and that chapter was trash... BUT I TRIED I'M SORRY.**

 **Also, randomly inspirational note: Readers, please don't self harm to avoid pain like Annabeth did here. Seriously, it isn't worth it, and it is not the way you should go. I know you might not believe it, but there are so many people who care, whether they show it or not. Don't you dare tell me that if you were to die, your classmates and friends wouldn't sit everyday at lunch or in class in silence, wishing they could hear your voice again. Don't you dare try and tell me that your siblings wouldn't become silent, constantly hating themself, thinking they caused you to do this, wishing they had been there to help. Don't you dare tell me that your parents or guardians or some adult in your life, wouldn't break down in tears every time they passed by anything that remotely reminded them of you, wishing they could see what you were going through and tried to help. I know it's hard, but you were given this life because life knew you could live it. You are strong enough, don't forget that. 3. Trust me, I know it's hard, but it will be worth it. I've been going through some stuff lately, and I'm going to be honest- I've had some... thoughts. It's been hard, but I've gotten through it, and I know that life isn't the destination- but whatever makes you happy and feel worth it in life. Please don't throw it away when it gets hard- there are things that are worth living for... It is there, there is something, and if not, it will come. *hugs you***

 **Wow, sorry for getting all emotional and inspirational there, I know you probably don't care, but I hope that random paragraph helped even one of you. (And if you just want me to shut up and stop wasting your time, I'm almost done... kind of...)**

 **Reviews:**

JC RH: **Heh, so, I didn't update that soon lol sorry. But thanks! Hope you enjoyed, and if not... well, I'm sorry for being trash! Review again, I beg! XD**

loudilylaugher11: **Love your username XD! And I'm glad you loved it, hopefully you still love it after this chapter? (I hope so). Thanks for the review!!**

wisecollectionbread: **Okay, so I'm going to reply to both reviews in this, so this might be a little long XD. Yes, I made Annabeth different, but I thought of it as because she was raised in such a way where she was overlooked, always in the shadows, never really receiving that pride or admiration, Annabeth sort of became different. She still is strong and independent, but she keeps it more hidden, to avoid people who might take advantage or use her, after her problems with Luke. And aw, thanks! I'm glad you liked my writing style, though I'm sure yours is ten times better. XD (now onto second review). I planned for the story to be 4-5 chapters long, but I think at most it will be up to 8. After the way I ended this, it will definitely be at least 5 chapters... I hope you look forward to those chapters as well! XD. And sorry, I know my writing became less good (why didn't I just type worse? I don't know) in this chapter. Also, I LOVE your idea. There don't seem to be as many good fanfics where Annabeth is the popular one. I definitely love that idea :D. Please review again, your review made my week!!**

Kirsty: **Aw thanks!!! Here's the next part, sorry that it's not very good. XD! Thank you for your review, I'd love it if you reviewed again!**

The.Original.Percabeth.Child: **Heh, so I updated... but sorry that I updated so late! I'm sorry, I'm also a procrastination queen XD. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry it was more trash than usual!**

 **And that's it for the reviews. Sorry that this chapter was trash, I tried... I know it got dark, sorry, and I'm really sorry for torturing the characters (though I seem to do that a lot don't I? Lol). Please follow, favorite, review, whatever! I love criticism, as long as it's constructive! Oh, and I also take suggestions if you have any! **

**I'll stop wasting your time, bye!**

 **~FandomQueen713**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, again! I would like to let any fans of my Switched and Heroes of Olympus One Shots fanfics know that those are discontinued (unless I somehow get some inspiration to continue)**

 **Oh, and this is FandomQueen713, lol, I'm pretty sure you knew that, but whatever, I enjoy rambling and wasting your time by typing excessively long author's notes.**

 **Okay, I'll stop digressing. The whole Luke thing should be mostly cleared up during this chapter, and as always, my fanfics are kind of fast paced so.. yeah! Now approaching the end of this author's note XD**

 **Disclaimer: I am not the god of writing. Therefore, I am not Rick Riordan, meaning, I own nothing XD. Simple, and plain, just like my fanfics!**

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

Annabeth turned, hearing the familiar voice of Thalia Grace. Thalia was enraged, stalking towards Luke, Percy, and Annabeth with deadly rage. She yanked Luke out of Percy's grasp, punching him in the face. "What the hell, Luke?!" Thalia yelled, kicking him in the shin hard enough that he stumbled and nearly collapsed onto the ground.

"Luke. Castellan. Explain. Yourself." Thalia said softly, but so tense that it seemed like one wrong word would unleash anger that could kill. Literally.

Annabeth watches as Luke gulped visibly, looking between his ex-girlfriend, one of his best friends, and- well, whatever Annabeth was to him. She honestly couldn't care less how this idiotic waste of space felt about her.

"Thals..." Luke said softly, reaching up to stroke Thalia's face, before getting his hand whacked aside.

"Shut up and speak." Thalia said. Annabeth refrained from mentioning that Luke physically couldn't do both at once.

Luke inhaled sharply, turning between the three teenagers that all awaited answers. Deciding that Percy was the safest, Luke turned towards him, and began to talk.

"Perce, look. Thalia, Annabeth, and I all became pretty close friends when we were 7. We all met in the park, running off from our families, seeking to be away from them... we became close friends, but once I became 11, Annabeth and Thalia had sort of broken away from me, becoming closer friends without me. That's when you and I started hanging out. Well, once I became 13, I realized I liked Thalia..." At this, Luke swallowed and turned to gaze at Thalia fearfully. Annabeth resisted the urge to snort.

Luke continued, "And that was when Annabeth started becoming awful to me. She started flinging herself at me, begging for kisses and any sign of emotion and love from me. One day, she even cornered me and-"

 _Thwack!_

Luke fell silent, cradling his cheek from Annabeth's merciless slap. She could not believe he was making up these lies. Annabeth turned towards Percy. "He's lying! That asshole started coming on to ME, and so I left, avoiding him. Later, Thalia and Luke started dating, and I avoided them so nothing would happen. And Luke kept threatening to tell Thals that.. I- uh.. had liked him. But then, today, Luke was trying to rape me, or something! And- I don't know why..." Annabeth finished uncertainly. Luke bit his lip.

"I did it because Thalia here has been 'getting it on' with our fellow friend, Reyna! She cheated on me! So I wanted to cheat on her!" Luke said, glaring, though it sounded like some halfhearted lie to Annabeth. Thalia's face turned purple in rage, and she stomped on Luke's foot.

"Do you want to talk about cheating?! How about you and Rachel? Yeah, don't act like that didn't happen, I saw it! And also, Reyna and I are only friends- just because now you're so egotistical and petty that you think even my friends are only there to "get with me" doesn't make it true! And also, THAT DOESNT EXCUSE YOU FROM NEARLY RAPING ANNIE HERE!" Thalia finished, thundering. She took a moment away from glaring at Luke to look at Annabeth sadly. "And if you were honest and the reason you didn't talk to me for the past year was because of this idiot, then I'm really sorry... it's part of..." Thalia inhaled sharply, before cutting herself off.

Percy stepped forward angrily. "No way. You do not get to end this like that. And you all need to listen to ME. Luke, you were my friend: even though at times you were headstrong, you were never someone who would.. do this. And Wise Girl here would never like you..." Percy trailed off as he glanced at Annabeth.

Annabeth had liked Luke, in the beginning at least. Nothing major, but she had feelings that were kind of hard to distinguish between loving a friend or as a crush. In fact, she had even kissed Luke of her own free will when they were 8, though it was pretty likely he had forgotten. She bit her lip, turning towards Percy, turning towards the dark haired boy who still stood beside her, who was still willing to go through everything, for her. Annabeth turned towards the boy with the sea green eyes, the boy who had suffered so much, yet never once complained, who continued to stay loyal to his friends after everything. But then, Annabeth caught sight of Luke Castellan, the blonde friend who had always put up a facade of being a popular player who everyone could like.

Annabeth remembered a time when Luke hadn't been like this.

 **~ Line Break ~**

 _She had been around 10 years old. It was raining, and Annabeth sat outside, on the steps of a random apartment nearby. She was drenched, and her small petite frame was in a dress, tennis shoes, and a thin frayed sweater that did little to nothing to provide warmth and protection from the storm. Parents and kids were rushing ahead of her, desperately trying to get home and avoid the rain, but Annabeth simply sat there. Her dad and stepmom had yet again been busy dealing with her stepbrothers, and inevitably, they had not cared to pay attention to what Annabeth was doing. She had slipped outside, and started walking, not caring where she was heading, just as long as she had gotten out. As Annabeth sat there, countless faces went by, and everything seemed so repetitive. Until, she saw Luke Castellan. They had been pretty close friends, and Annabeth watched as a woman, probably in her early thirties, stood in front of Luke, saying something, her hands placed on his small shoulders. Annabeth stepped forward, trying to overhear what was happening. The woman muttered something about being sorry what Luke's mother was going through, wished him luck, and then handed over a wilting flower, before hesitantly turning and leaving. Luke had stood there, ten years old, gazing out into the rain and holding the flower tightly in his fist. People continued to rush by, yet Luke simply stood there, staring after the woman. Annabeth caught sight of his face, and rushed over immediately, was the person there when he had crumpled. She had hugged him tightly, murmuring that she was there for him, that everything would be okay, though she had no idea what was happening. No one payed attention to the the little girl and boy who were crouched in the rain, who were tightly holding on to each other as if the other was the only thing that could ground them in this life. Annabeth remembered brushing off Luke's tears, asking what had happened, and he shook it off, just asking her to stay, asking that she would never leave him. Luke had buried his face into the thin sweater, begging her to stay with him, begging for something that was constant and sane. Annabeth had promised instantly, claiming she would never leave Luke, and at the time, Annabeth never doubted that they would be friends forever._

 _And then? She had forgotten. She became closer than ever to Thalia, and Luke sort of drifted apart from them. About a month later, Luke confessed that his mom had sort of gone insane. He was struggling, it was clear to see that, and at times he would cry on Annabeth or Thalia's shoulder, need to lean on them, to depend on them, sobbing about needing his dad to come back so his mom would be okay again. He began trying to get some small jobs from family friends, any way to earn money and help his family. Even though his dad had left, he was still supplying the Castellans money, it seemed, but Luke took that money reluctantly, desperate to find some other way to help his mom. He began drifting away, spending more time doing these jobs, and thus, their friendship had changed as well. The time she spent with Luke lessened and... so did her knowledge of what he was going through._

 _By the time they were 13, Thalia and Luke had begun dating. The day Luke had tried to kiss Annabeth... that day, Thalia had bee out with her dad, who claimed he wanted to spend some "family time". Luke had seemed a little off that whole day, though Annabeth had attributed it to being because Thalia was out, but... what if it was more than that? What if it had something to do with his mom? Annabeth remembered when Luke suddenly leaned in, desperately trying to force her into kissing him. She had shoved him away, glaring, and yelling at him, while he had sat silently for a moment. He had then completely changed, claiming he would tell Thalia that she had kissed him, and that Annabeth had liked him, calling her a slut and worse. Luke had been consumed with bitter rage, and Annabeth had stormed off, swearing to herself to avoid him. But... what if it had all just been some way for Luke to cope? What if he had just needed a distraction, and when Annabeth pushed him away, he used his anger as a way to cope, as a way to forget about what he was dealing with? He had became a 'player' after, except when he was alone with Thals, and Annabeth wondered... what if it had all just been some way to deal with his problems?_

 _Annabeth forcing him away could have been why he changed to this. Annabeth's actions might have had an impact, she might not have been as invisible as she feared but.. this was worse. Annabeth had caused him to change, ad not just with that one action of shoving him away. She had avoided him after, and even before she had drifted away, and he had lost someone to lean on, the friend who would never leave._

 _Annabeth had left. This was all her fault... the one time she did something that done something in the long run, and she had screwed it up. She had screwed everything up..._

 **~ Line Break ~**

"Annabeth!"

She was shaking, barely making out Percy's voice. Everything was her fault.. she had been the one who had pushed Luke away. who had been the bad fried that had made him need someone, anyone to help him, made him that desperate for a way to cope...

She felt some fingers brush her cheek, and she finally stopped staring at nothing to see Percy's sea green eyes, his eyebrows scrunched in concern. "Wise Girl, you okay? You blanked out for a minute, and suddenly you just..." He trailed off, glancing down. Annabeth looked down realizing she was on her knees. She must have fallen to her knees in shock, and it took Annabeth to register what was happening. Thalia suddenly squatted beside Percy, laying her hand on Annabeth's shoulder.

"Annie? What is it? Everything okay? You suddenly just stopped talking adn next thing we know, you're on the ground, staring off into space? I know your mind works really fast, but you need to explain whatever it is to us idiots!" Thalia continued rambling, and it was apparent she was trying to lighten the mood, but Annabeth was thankful for the gesture. Thals was being a good friend, being there for her, unlike how Annabeth was with-

"Didn't you hear? Are you okay?!" Percy interrupted, removing his hand hesitantly from her cheek.

Annabeth forced herself to nod. Percy offered his hands, standing up and pulling her up beside him. "Thanks," she managed to croak out. Taking a deep breath, she turned to where the boy whose life she had ruined was. Or..

Where he should have been...

Annabeth gasped, causing Thalia and Percy to turn and look as well. Percy's eyes instantly widened, and he ran out of the alleyway, quickly looking both directions, before slowly walking back, shaking his head.

"He.. must have just left once we became distracted by your... whatever it was.." Percy awkwardly finished. He bit his lip, looking down, and covered in those cuts and bruises, he looked so helpless and misunderstood, that Annabeth felt the need to comfort him. In fact, she was about to, before Thalia cried out.

"Look!"

Thalia bent down to pick up a crumpled up napkin on the ground by where Luke had stood. Turning it over, her shoulders tensed, as she silently handed it to Annabeth. Percy looked over Annabeth's shoulder, reading the words that were quickly scrawled on the back.

 _'Sorry for what I did, and what I'm about to do. You deserve better, thanks for being a good friend, I heard everything... know that I'm trying to do what's right and make up for everything. '_

Percy scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. "What is he talking about? He's sorry but he's doing what's right?"

Annabeth too was lost. What could he possibly mean? And how was Annabeth a good friend, after everything she'd done, after leaving him to find some way to cope with his pain, any way, because he didn't have anyone to lean on...? How was she anything but a traitor? Sure, pushing him away wasn't wrong, but she should have had some sense in asking why he had tried to kiss her, some common sense in remembering what he had gone through, how he had had to deal with an insane mother and desperately find ways to earn money for the family.

A stomping sound interrupted Annabeth's thoughts, and she turned to see a policeman standing there. He was holding out a notepad, and staring at Percy in concern, probably in shock from the cuts that were on him. The cuts that might not have been there had Annabeth been a good friend to her Seaweed Brain, and let him stay with her, instead of avoiding him for weeks.

"You're Perseus Jackson?" The policeman asked, before cutting himself off and nodding to himself in affirmation. "You're coming with me..."

And with that, he grabbed Percy's arm, albeit a little softly, and opened the door to a newly parked police car, gesturing a silent Percy to sit inside, before driving off.

 **Sorry that was short... And sorry that took so much time. I actually had written about 6000 words using my phone, but then my phone broke and everything was gone. I tried to remake it on my laptop, but I must have forgotten to save it, so that disappeared as well. This copy was the third time I rewrote this, and so I kind of just decided to end it here so you wouldn't have to wait much longer. That being said, I'm hoping that the next chapter will be up before 2018, but I make no promises... *apologies***

 **Also, I've had some personal issues recently, which may have led to me procrastinating on writing this, but welp... sorry again. 3**

 **I'll stop wasting your time, let's just go to comments:**

DoughterOfPoseidon: **Oh my gods, thank you so much! It means a lot, but honestly, there are so much better fanfic authors out there, but it means so much, thank you! Sorry that I keep taking so long to write though :/ XD**

Evgo: **Ooh, thank you! And I'll definitely look into Silent Ray of Sunshine, it sounds interesting! Also, about how I'm going to include the other characters? I know I'm going to sound very vague, but have patience, I have a plan, and they will be incorporated most probably, don;t worry ;)** ***evil laugh***

loudilylaughter11: **Omg, that really means a lot, thank you! And yeah, haha, I'm surprised I updated too, and agh, lol, you were right about waiting over a month (almost two yikes XD). But thank you, and while I will continue to believe I am trash (because I am) it really means a lot that you think that. Hopefully I didn't screw up this chapter too badly, and yeah, I tried to clarify a bit about the Lukabeth thing, but more explanation that is hopefully clearer is yet to come, though, if you have any questions or need me to make something a little more clear, just let me know, I'm happy to explain in an author's note. But again, thank you, and yes, I know I sound repetitive, but your review made my day agh! 3 Can't wait for another review (assuming I didn't fail so badly that you choose not to review haha)**

JC RH: **It is trash, like me XD, but thanks! And yeah, I'm not one for putting things off and trying to add a bunch of not very important thngs to my stories, which makes it fast paced for sure, so it's nice to know that it doesn't ruin everything!**

: **Well, sorry it took a while, but don't worry, I haven't given up on this story yet XD. Sorry, I take a very long time to update, i'm very slow like that, but hope this chapter met your expectations!**

daughterofposideon22: **Thank you! Here's more, though I can't guarantee it's that much better lol XD**

 **End of reviews!**

 **Thank you all so much for the reviews, I'll try to write faster and post the next chapter soon, and I am me, aka, procrastination queen, so no guarantees. But thank you all so much, it means a lot, and every time I see one, it makes my day ;)**

 **Favorite, follow, review, all that, you're all so amazing and thanks for putting up with my VERY SLOW updates! XD**

 **~ FandomQueen713**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! It's FandomQueen713, and I'm here to - well, you'll see. :D**

 **Thank you so much for all of you dealing with my insane procrastination and everything, I know most other fanfic writers update A LOT more often. Oh, and trust me when I say, it's extremely unlikely I'll discontinue this story, for those of you who have been asking XD.**

 **Anyways, as I said, I tried to update before 2018, and.. well.. I didn't... not even close heh agh sorry! Okay, I'll stop wasting your time XD**

 **Disclaimer: I'm way too lazy to come up with a clever disclaimer, and as I can't even come up with a decent 2 sentence disclaimer, I clearly am not talented enough to do all the work of creating and owning awesome characters. Therefore, nothing belongs to me ;)**

 ** _Annabeth's POV (1 week later)_**

~ Sometimes.. it's easier to just run.

It's easier to take off, leave the problems and pain in the past. It's easier to just start over, pretend to be okay and unscarred.

But sometimes?

Sometimes, you don't have that choice- or more accurately, sometimes, there's too much to lose.. ~

 **/ Line Break /**

Annabeth was frustrated.

First, she had to face being alone again, after she left Percy. Then, Luke had to come along, leading Annabeth, Thalia, and Percy to reconcile- but of course, minutes later, Percy got taken away by the police.

No- not frustrated. Annabeth was pissed.

 _Why was Percy even taken? What had Luke's note meant? Why hadn't Annabeth seen either of them since the incident? Why wasn't Thalia freaking out? Why hadn't the world ended from the level of drama that had happened?!_

These thoughts ran through Annabeth's mind as she ran on the track. the steady thump of her feet as they pushed off the ground was the only thing keeping her sane. She hadn't seen Percy in about a week, or Luke for that matter. Thalia was still there, though, she was skipping school much more frequently. Annabeth had kind of tried to stay closed off to avoid everything, and everyone. But then again, it was not as though Annabeth was very social before.

It was not as though Annabeth ever really did anything before Percy had taken her in and befriended her.

Oh wait, that wasn't true. Annabeth had also destroyed Luke. She had been the one to betray him, to cause him to have to turn into how he was. Annabeth was the one who had messed up the last time she had really had a say in anything, really been able to do anything and impact anyone or anything; Annabeth was the one who had left, the one who had essentially pushed Luke into the act of being a playboy. It was all her fault...

Annabeth sprinted the last distance of the mile, desperate to clear her thoughts. Finishing with a time of 4:47:18, Annabeth braced her arms against her legs, breathing heavily.

"Nice job, Chase!" Coach Hedge congratulated her, as the others finished up in the next few minutes. "We'll be sure to place at this rate!" He almost let out a smile - incredibly surprising for Hedge- before blowing his whistle loudly.

"Good job, Annie. He might actually let us off without having to run extra laps at the end!" Piper joked, nudging her in the side as she gave an innocent smile to their coach.

Annabeth let out a small smile to Piper. It was nice to still have her to talk to, not that Piper and Annabeth ever really talked outside of track. On the occasional times they passed in the halls, which was only when Piper met with Jason outside of Jason's and Annabeth's advanced math class to 'talk' (it was a lot more mesmerizing and mildly disturbing than talking, Annabeth could assure you).. well, on those times, she would be lucky to get a wave of acknowledgement from Piper, who was more likely to be occupied with Jason than to be greeting acquaintances. Though, Piper was certainly Annabeth's closest friends in track... her only friend in track really...

"- and that's why I need you all to eat healthier and keep as fit as ever before the next track meet. Now head to the locker rooms, you all smell disgusting!" Coach barked, finishing his long speech.

Annabeth hurriedly got ready, and still lost in thought, jogged out of the locker room, crashing into a freshman. Murmuring an apology, Annabeth bit her lip, stepping aside.

"Oh my gosh!" The 9th grader whispered, as she stood up after picking up the books Annabeth had knocked down. "I'm so sorry!" She squeaked, covering her face with a hand in shame.

Annabeth took a moment to scan over the girl. She was African American, with gorgeous dark curly hair and strangely golden eyes. She was also very small and petite, looking as though a breeze could knock her over- though at second glance, the girl seemed to contain a lot more fire in her than she let on.

Annabeth gave a brief nod, unsure how to respond. "I-yeah, sorry." She muttered, making another cursory glance towards the girl's face, only to make eye contact with her fierce golden eyes.

"Wait- grey eyes, blonde hair- are you Annabeth- Annabeth Chase?!"

Annabeth paused, before nodding. "Uh, yeah... why do you want to know-"

"I'm Hazel Levesque-di Angelo," Hazel cut her off. When the name didn't register any emotion or understanding, Hazel added something else. "I'm Percy Jackson's cousin. And.. I know where he is."

 ** _Percy's POV_**

A year ago, if Percy had been given the opportunity to do anything he wanted in the world, it would've been to move out and live somewhere else.

A few months ago, and it would've been to make Annabeth understand how much she mattered, to make sure she would have happiness and acceptance.

And now?

Now, Percy would've given anything to go back to his old life.

After the police had taken him, Percy had been brought to a room for questioning. At first, Percy had been afraid, unsure how much he should tell about Luke. But then, it became apparent that it was about Gabe.

Percy had no idea how they had found out about his... situation, but he had a feeling that Annabeth had something to do with it. And Percy was eternally pissed by that. Why would she rat him out?! She knew that Percy was okay, that he only had to last a little longer before he could leave. She knew that he would have to be sent away to some distant relatives that he hadn't even met, probably someone that was related to Percy's dad- god knows who the hell that was, probably a random jerk who had tricked Percy's mom into falling in love with him.

Percy had entrusted her with this, something basically no one else knew. And she betrayed him?

The question was, how did she manage to report this in the brief amount of time between the police taking him and Percy telling Annabeth... sure, she was probably smart enough to figure this out on her own but...

Percy's thoughts continued swirling around in his head, the only thing keeping him awake and alive. He was still capable of conscious thought, that was something. He hasn't lost that yet...

"Damn it..." he muttered angrily, as the car he was in screeched to a stop. Gathering himself together, Percy stepped out of the car, looking around at the vast building in front. Behind the black metallic gate was a large grey house, pomegranate trees in front, alongside the path to the door. The driver gestured Percy forward, allowing Percy to lead the way to the door. Percy hesitantly took a step forward, pressing the doorbell. Some chimes started sounding, and the large mahogany door was opened to reveal a man with jet black hair, a small scowl, and familiar brown eyes.

The person who had driven Percy from the police station leaned forward, flashing a grin. "Here's Perseus Jackson, Mr. Levesque."

The scowling man, Mr. Levesque, nodded curtly. "Thanks, Hermes. You can go now, I've got this covered."

Hermes left, lifting a hand while walking back to the car, giving a light wave. He started the car, and zoomed off, leaving Percy to face this Levesque guy alone.

Percy stuck out a hand, forcing a bright, believable smile. "Hey, I'm Perseus, but call me Percy." He gave a lopsided grin. Just as always. After all, smiling was the best mask to cover pain. And Percy had learned that from experience...

Levesque cleated his throat, widening the door slightly, gesturing Percy in. "Call me Hades.. I- uh- I guess I'm your uncle."

Percy stumbled on his way in. "U-uncle?! Mom was an only child... and Gabe doesn't have any siblings-" Especially not weird emo rich guys with Greek (?) names, Percy wanted to add.

Hades cut him off. "I'm your father's brother. He- uh- we lost touch many years ago.. I wasn't aware he had a son when he..left..." He trailed off awkwardly, clearing his throat. Tilting his head sharply, he looked towards the grand staircase, as if waiting for something.

Percy took the moment to examine the place. The outside look was nothing compared to the elegance of this place. The room they were currently in was a living room, with two red couches and two armchairs, contrasting sharply with the black carpet floor and off white walls. A black piano was by the wall, though it seemed to be untouched, as though only there for decoration. And then, there was the spiral staircase that had metallic railings and just seemed so.. aesthetic for lack of a better word...

A black haired boy wearing ripped jeans and a dark shirt traipsed down the stairs. "What-" he began abruptly, before catching sight of Percy. The kid was pale, and he had deep brown eyes. Deep brown eyes that glared as Percy examined him.

"Nico, this is Perseus. Percy, this is my son, Nico," Hades introduced, flexing his fingers. They might have been father and son, but whatever relationship they had was clearly not extremely close, or far. They treated each other as you would treat an acquaintance.. gentle, abnormally calm at times, polite.. but no real emotion was apparent that existed between the two.

Percy reached out to shake Nico's hand, but he looked over Percy's hand quickly, before glaring at Hades with pursed lips. "If you intend to set me up with this one, let me just say it now: Not. My. Type."

Percy felt his cheeks redden as he awkwardly pulled his hand back. Nico looked at Percy disdainfully, before jerking his head upward slightly, in a greeting. Percy swallowed, returning the gesture, before biting his lip and staring at Levesq- Hades.

Hades rolled his eyes at Nico, clearing his throat, as though that would dissolve the tension and awkwardness that had formed. "No, Nico, Percy is a... hmm.. guest, I suppose. He will be staying with us for some time." He tilted his head, making sure to lock eye contact with Nico. After a silent debate, what seemed like an eternity for Percy, Nico huffed and brushed by Percy, muttering rapidly in- was that Italian? Beside the point. Hades looked condescendingly at Percy, gesturing for him to follow Nico, and Percy, albeit a little hesitant, did just that. Nico turned abruptly around a corner, into a room, walls lined with gaming consoles. He threw himself atop a couch, grabbing a remote, tilting his head towards Percy, inviting him to join. Percy sat beside him, and they began playing some fantasy game called "Mythomagic." Nico rambled a bit about the game, and Percy began to ease a little, letting the familiarity of playing video games settle on him, letting that distract him from the whole chaos that his life had become. After a few moments, still engulfed in the game, Nico started trying to start a conversation.

"So, what's your life like?" He asked broadly, the sounds from the game beginning to fade a little as Nico awkwardly began talking.

Percy shrugged. "Not much. I swim and hang out with friends a lot, I guess. Fail at math too," he added, hoping to lighten some of the tension from before.

Nico nodded. "Yeah, I don't really do 'sports.' Too much commitment, too much time around other people." Nico shrugged, accepting of his antisocial behaviors. "So, why are you here?"

"Apparently, you all are my closest relatives, so here I am." Keeping it light.. that was the goal, Percy was pretty good at that.

"Ah, you're probably related to my..father in some way." Nico paused the game, turning towards Percy and staring for a second. "Yeah, you seem like you'd fit right in with the family reunions.. not that I'm really invited to any of those, being related to the outcast of the family." Nico stated this bluntly, hiding any sign of anger well. Percy was still trying to wrap his head around what exactly Nico meant by that when Nico followed up with more questions. "So what happened? Runaway? Drop-out that isn't wanted anymore?"

"My dad ran off when I was young. mom died when I was 12, and my stepdad is.. probably getting questioned by the police and trialed in court right now." Percy un-paused the game, hoping to distract himself in this game of Greek mythology and monsters.

Nico understood the message of not prodding on that subject, as he picked up his remote again and continued playing. Some lighter questions ensued, but certainly nothing poking into the back of either of their lives. Just some getting-to-know-each-other talks, happy and easy to cover up any emotional wounds. The kind of conversations Percy was best at.

"Grade?"

"12th. Though at the rate I'm doing in math, I'll probably be in 12th for a few more years."

"Cool, I'm a junior. I got transferred to Goode High School since my dad got remarried. You?"

"I'm at Goode too. Any siblings?" Percy asked, unsure how to continue the conversation.

"Yeah, one. Hazel, she's a freshman. well, she's my half-sister, but still. I'm assuming you don't have any?"

"Yeah.." Percy trailed off.

"Any friends? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" Nico questioned, slightly distracted as he began getting more into the game, using some card with a lot of attack points and pumping his fist as he won the game for their team.

"It's... complicated."

Complicated it was. Percy still had to figure out why Annabeth had told the police. Sure, it hadn't turned out too badly, he was still going to the same school; most likely he could lie to his friends and no one would know what Percy had been facing, other than Annabeth, but after all the drama they'd been through, they probably wouldn't talk much. Percy could deal with that he supposed.

He just had to remedy his friendship with Thalia. Oh, and if Luke was still at school, or planning on coming back anytime soon, Percy would have to avoid him. Otherwise, Percy had a feeling Luke would receive a very painful series of punches to the stomach.

After all, no one was allowed to hurt Annabeth.

Though.. it seemed Percy had hurt her- and she him in return. Despite her best interests..

And on this Wednesday, the Wednesday where he'd entered a new chapter in his life, one with Hades and Nico, Percy decided to cut Annabeth out of his life for good.

Easier said then done.

 **Well, this time it wasn't as much of a cliffhanger, enjoy? XD**

 **Sorry, gods wow this took a while. I know it's probably more trash than the other chapters, which is saying a lot, lol, but I tried to be a little more descriptive I guess. Anyways, let me know what you think!**

 **On to the reviews~**

Krystaltheelemental: **Thank you for your input! I'm pretty sure I'll keep the name Wednesdays, thanks again! I hope you enjoy this slightly (**very) late update.**

Alex Focker: **Well of course! I couldn't let all that tension and anticipation resolve, now could I?! XD**

. : **Ha cliffhangers yesss! XD And aw, thank you, I'm honestly not that good at writing, but thank you so much! And here's the story continuation, though, heh, it's a bit late I suppose.. welp, I hope you enjoy!**

loudilylaughter11: **Well of course, leaving you all on the edge of your seats is the most fun part! And aww, I hope that me taking 4 months to update this one makes you more excited and happy to read it? Maybe I'll keep waiting months at a time hmmm XD I'm kidding. And agh, I don't intend to discontinue this story, so no need to worry (or no need to cheer, if me discontinuing it made you happy XD). And hey, as always, I'm trash, and my writing is as well :P. And I'm sure you could carry a plot, better than mine for sure, I swear. I hope your life was good too, I can't wait for another review, they always make my day (or months, in this case lol). xx**

ExistentialPanoramicView: **Hey! Why thank you, I didn't update the story soon, I'm sorry, but I hope you do enjoy it. AND I'LL TRY TO REMEMBER TO SAVE MY WORK! I used to write mostly on my phone, which auto-saved, so when I started using my laptop more, I kept forgetting agh! And I kind of avoided the police work so it wouldn't be unrealistic, but I'm sure I can try and add a part in one of the next chapters that;ll make it feel realistic if you'd like. And we haven't seen Thalia yet, but I'm sure you'll enjoy (or hate me for) what I've done to her and what her reactions are, as you'll find out soon enough ;). Also, trust me, there's plenty of problems I'm planning on adding, so enjoy! And yeah, many reviews have mentioned to make Annabeth bolder, my plan is actually that she has a moment to really accept herself before becoming the pride-filled bold girl we know, it's just taking some time for Annabeth to find herself and realize that her lack of acknowledgement from her family shouldn't change herself. That will be coming soon too, sorry this was a filler chapter, but there's plenty more to look ahead too. And yeahh, I sort of.. procrastinated more, heh. but I'll try to be more up-to-date, maybe even adding another chapter this month, who knows? XD. Anyways, thank you so much for your review and taking the time to give suggestions, I'll definitely try to add some, it means a lot. *insert heart here***

 **And that's all for the reviews! Thank you all for your continued support of my procrastinated self and fic, I will try to update a little sooner, this time, though I'm scared to promise anything tbh XD. Anyways, ty all, I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Favoite, follow, and review! I love constructive criticism, but make sure it's _constructive_!**

 **~ FandomQueen713**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, everyone, it's FandomQueen713, here again after yet another long break.**

 **Now, I apologize sincerely for my continuous not writing, though I have a more legitimate excuse below, um, so yeah. (If you don't want to read the whole rest of this and just get to the chapter already, skip to the unbolded part lol XD)**

 **Okay, I'm going to start off just saying that I've come to terms with many things, and I guess that's a bright side. But also.. Okay um, I found out an internet friend had a crush on me, but she was extremely toxic and I had several panic attacks from that. In addition she kept saying that if I left too long she'd take her life and it would be my fault. I felt objectified and used and the worst part was that I stayed in fear even though it destroyed me inside. And, I guess I reached a dark place. I've cut her out of my life, now, and things are starting to get better. Also, I found out a different online friend faked their death. 5 months ago "their brother" told me that they had passed away and I only found out 2 months ago, when I came across an active account of theirs. But um, yeah, there's been other normalish life problems, few breakdowns and stuff , but those two things hit me kind of hard and I've found out that a few of my irl friends are kinda homophobic so yeah, I guess I've been stressed. Usually, writing helps me let that kind of thing out but I couldn't bring myself to start writing again until well, today (yes I wrote this chapter in a few hours so I apologize for the typos and everything)**

 **I wanted to let you all know that I was planning Annabeth kill herself in this fic. Which is really dark when I think back on it, but I think I wanted to give the message that no one is alone, even though the way I was planning on having that message come out wasn't exactly the sweetest. I've decided against doing that, because I guess recently it's been a little more touchy to me and I don't plan on it ending like that. But I thought I should let you all know, though I don't know why I'm telling you this tbh.**

 **Anyways, wow this got ranty, I'm going to carry on with the fic and not take up all the space with longs ANs XD**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned any of these characters, I'd have enough money to get a bigger bookshelf, but alas *sigh***

 **Annabeth's POV**

 _Dear future self,_

 _It's been a while since I've done these. I honestly don't know where to begin. I'm just so confused right now._

 _Perseus Jackson befriended me. He talked to me. He helped me. He noticed me._

 _He kissed me._

 _He left me. He avoided me._

 _Then, he saved me._

 _And after that? He disappeared._

 _Not a word. Not a text message to let me know how he is. Not a letter with his infuriatingly positive hints and hopeful thoughts. Not an annoying remark at my track meets. I haven't seen his stupid adorable face in so long. The last time I did.. I should've known. I should have trusted my gut when I saw how he was hiding pain, when I noticed his fear._

 _I'm such an idiot._

 _I was probably the only one paying attention and I didn't even think to say something. And now he might be gone forever. All I know is that the police came. And I have no idea how they got there. Percy probably blames me, but I really never said anything. Though I suppose you know that, considering you're me.._

 _Either way, Thals must have spoken up, but she seemed so shocked when I talked to her about what was happening to Percy. And I asked her why she never took him in. She mentioned that Percy had asked her and that Zeus had flat out refused, claiming he was busy and that they didn't need the household more full._

 _God, that family tree is a mess.. I just hope Percy's okay. I can understand where he's coming from with not telling me, that's not the kind of thing you can tell people but it hurts at the same time. That he never told me. What if I could have helped? Well, not much I could do, but I wouldn't have pushed him away after the kiss._

 _Oh my god he probably went home all those days to that asshole.. Percy had nowhere else.. I'm so stupid oh my god. Just another thing that's my fault I suppose._

 _Oh, also, I checked out the house. I feel like that may be important to mention, in case this ever actually goes anywhere. I was careful about it, but it seemed empty. I scanned inside (the place was a mess, alcohol bottles dropped everywhere, chips strewn across the floor, shards all over the ground) and no one was there. So hopefully the asshole that hurt my Seaweed Brain like that got punished._

 _What am I talking about?! (Or writing, I suppose). He's not MY anything. Well, maybe my friend. My best friend. Though Thalia might be winning that spot back._

 _Btw, still conflicted on Luke at the moment. He's finally come back to school, douchey as ever, but he's ignoring me for the most part. So far, no one knows where he's been, I have a feeling it was something to do with figuring himself out. Either way, he's clearly done associating with me.And Thals. It was hilarious to see her publicly break up, dumping her lunch on his head and then storming over to my table, the one I've started sitting at occasionally. My usually empty table._

 _She also dragged along some of Percy's friends. Oh, and that tiny sophomore, Hazel, was telling me that she thinks her step-brother might be related to Percy. That maybe he'll know where he is. Her step-brother's name is Nico di Angelo, and he's starting school in a few days. But yeah, Hazel sits with us at lunch. So does Grover, the nice kid with the curly hair? Piper and Jason occasionally join, though they kind of float between a few tables._

 _So that's my update on life so far. Hopefully things will make more sense then._

 _Hopefully my dad and stepmom will actually notice how much worse things are with me. They don't even know I was_ _mauled (that's not really the right word but I'm blanking, maybe I'll edit later) by Luke a week or so ago._

 _Fun_

 _Anyways, since that's all, until next time._

 _~ A.C._

Annabeth closed her journal, sighing. Things were complicated, that was for sure. A few months with Percy and she'd fallen for him, just as so many did at Goode High. And she had to admit, their one kiss, short as it was, did tend to comen up in her mind a lot. Regardless, it didn't matter. She was in love with someone who was clearly done with her, even if he did somehow show up back in her life.

Annabeth toyed with the hem of her shirt, before standing up. It was 5 am, she hadn't slept a wink. And of course, for whatever reason it felt less exhausting to not sleep than to sleep for only an hour and a half. And so, Annabeth was up and currently trying to figure out what to do.

She shoved on a pair of jeggings, pulling on a new T-shirt, and reaching to grab her sweatshirt. Yet, she hesitated. She was so used to being the girl who blended in, not noticed. No one cared enough to pay attention, so why should she care enough to vie for it. But.. her time with Percy had led her to learn some things. For one, she was enough as she was. Percy had made sure she understood that. 'The only person you ever need to please is yourself.' He had murmured to her. 'But for what it's worth, I think you're pretty great as you are, and anyone who says otherwise can fight me.' Annabeth had fixed a glare at him at the time. 'I'm perfectly capable of fighting them myself.' Percy had agreed easily. 'Oh definitely. I just figured it would be more fair if they fought me instead; if they fought you, they'd get pinned in 2 seconds flat.'

Annabeth had also come to terms with her fear of failure. She'd hated getting attention because if she failed it would feel like she never deserved it. But she did not have to hide from opportunities..

Biting her lip, Annabeth glared at the mirror. She yanked her scrunchie off her ponytail, running a hand through the hair that cascaded down. She felt like a stereotypical blonde, just with gray eyes. But to be fair, she was objectively okay looking. Annabeth was in no means gorgeous or whatever, but she was fairly tall and thin, yet track had led her to have lean muscles. Living in California gave her tan skin, and her hair wasn't always a mess if she bothered caring. Looks didn't matter so much though.

Annabeth liked to think of herself as a proud person. She had strong opinions and great ways to defend them if given the chance. Her teachers definitely saw that side of her, the way her eyes brightened at each question when her hand shot up, the slightly smug smile at the confirmation she was right. Thalia enjoyed their conversations, even laughing and smiling, so Annabeth couldn't have that unattractive of a personality. (Though, maybe Thals's taste in personality was screwed up, considering her attraction to Luke). The new people at the tables during lunch never seemed to mind her being there. Grover and even Jason had seemed surprised at first by how much more she talked and reacted, since she came across as very closed off apparently, but they eased into it.

So why was Annabeth still choosing to remain in the background. She had the confirmation that maybe she wasn't always noticed by peers because she chose not to be. But what kept her from standing out? Fear, familiarity, what was it that still made her stand back when she had the space to step forward?

Or rather, why was she clinging to this position she hated so much, being overlooked and feeling like not enough, when the chance to be in the spotlight was so close?

 **Percy's POV**

Nerves.

So much fear and anticipation.

Heading back to Goode after such a random and sudden disappearance, well, to say the least, it was nerve wracking. Percy had always been the nice guy who earned popularity by doing his best to befriend others. He wasn't one to toot his own horn and bring up his ego, but he would assume that his absence didn't go unnoticed.

He needed to explain things to Annabeth too.. Percy had been avoiding his phone and email, ignoring the steady increase of notifications that he'd gotten. Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke must not have told everyone what happened, considering the frantic notifications he'd gotten from a few friends.

At least, Nico would also be coming. (And his stepsister and stepmom would be moving in today. That was something to look forward to?) Maybe people would focus on the new kid rather than Percy. Wait, that wouldn't be good, people would see Nico coming in with Percy, and people would wonder why they were coming together. And then they'd start figuring out the situation with Gabe and-

 _No, Percy, leave the fear for if the situation comes up. Don't freak out over something not guaranteed_.

"You coming or what?" Nico leaned against the doorframe of the guest room Percy was in- he supposed this was his room now. Strange, considering the place was basically untouched aside from the bed. He had gotten some new clothes and stuff too, but nothing else really personalized the room.

"Yeah, just gimme a minute."

"If I give you a minute, we'll be late."

"Don't be a negative Nancy, I'm coming."

"And yet we're still here."

"Damn you're salty, I'm ready, come on." They traipsed out of the house, Nico gesturing for Percy to hurry up as they approached an awaiting limo. Oh god, and here he thought they werent going to draw attention.

"Get in."

Percy obeyed, slipping into the back beside Nico. Nico vaguely introduced him to the chauffeur (apparently his name was Jules-Albert, he rarely slept and always seemed half dead because he was surviving off coffee, and he mainly spoke French.) Percy sat stiffly in the seat, his shoulders tense. Next to him, Nico was mostly sprawled out, his hands pulling on his fingerless gloves slightly, dark coat hastily slung on. To be fair, it was December so it was becoming colder.

The trip to school was quiet, but luckily not too long. Percy was honestly just dreading Annabeth's reaction. What would she say once she saw him? Thalia, you could at least know what was coming: a few glares for not telling her how he'd been and what was going on, maybe a punch or two to the arm, and then a quick hug that she'd pretend didn't happen.

"We're here." Percy murmured, as the school came into view. Students were hanging out outside, talking and laughing, most on their phones. There were the group of those who'd forgotten about homework and were doing it last minute frantically, the kids who'd brought some kind of ball to chuck back and forth, and those who were quietly on their phones leaving against walls and trees.

It would seem like a normal day to nearly anyone. That is, until the limo like car pulled up, and Percy and Nico stepped up. Heads turned, jaws gaped, some cocoa skinned girl squealed and launched herself at Nico for a hug. Everyone was staring as Jules-Albert drove off, leaving an apathetic Nico and a terrified Percy.

He moved forward cautious but determined, offering an easy smile as he approached where his friends would normally be. Nico trailed after him, the girl- presumably his stepsister- at his side.

Suddenly, Percy's view focused on one person. After all, she was a flame- beautiful, bright, captivating,- and he couldn't help but catch sight of her wherever she was.

He swallowed, reminding himself that he had vowed to cut her out of his life. Though, admittedly, he didn't really have that strong a reason for doing so anymore.

It didn't matter. Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him, glaring with stormy gray eyes at him, a touch of empathy on her face, but aside from that, she was voidless of emotion. And her cool voice was slicing.

"Perseus Jackson."

 **Sorry this is a short filler chapter! I've planned for about 3 more, hopefully I'm not too sidetracked and I actually update soon**

 **Oh, and clarifying the Percy situation, since I made a mistake in the past chapters about it: Percy's mom has no living relatives. Percy stepdad, G*be, has no one/has no one who Percy would be comfortable staying with, considering his situation with G*be. Percy's dad is of a big family, but disappeared when he was very young. His dad has two brothers - nicknamed Hades and Zeus. Zeus is a busy dad and doesn't want to add another kid to the mix, so when Percy casually asked when he was younger if a situation came up, would Zeus take him in. he'd flat out said no. Hades was kind of the outcast of the family and lost touch, so the Graces hadn't known about him and neither did Percy. The family reunions Percy had went to with Thals and Jason were all full of relatives on their mom's side, and he was invited because he was their cousin.**

 **On to reviews!**

ExistentialPanoramicView: **Thank you so much for your review! I realize your confusion and tried to address that, hopefully it makes more sense? Also, there's a bit of a time skip, but the later chapters will address what happened with the police and Gabe in more detail, so until then XD. I'm really glad you enjoy the story, and yeah, i don't plan on making the chapters shorter though this one is... it's around 2k words of actual plot compared to my other chapters being about 4k. But anyways, I did try to update, I apologize (yet again agh I keep being really inconsistent with updating) for it being a long wait again. I'll try and stay on top of it more. Once again, thank you so much for your review, I look forward to any more (and especially your advice and critiques, they've really helped!)**

KeyNameQ: **oh no, the furies must have come after me- tHATS WHAT HAPPENED IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!!!** **Haha, but in all honesty, I really am sorry for not updating soon like I said I would. I'll try to stay on top of it more. And oh my gosh, thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed this story despite it being kind of trash in places XD. It means a lot that I'm the first you've followed, hopefully this chapter is just as good. Once again, thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **And that's all for reviews. Favorite, follow, review please (literally, the reviews are what give me inspiration to keep writing XD) and I'll see you next chapter! (Oh and I'm sorry for the vent in the top AN)**

 **~ FandomQueen713**


	7. Chapter 7

**Heyy I'm back!**

 **I'm not going to cover this final chapter with a very long AN, youre welcome XD (sorry, I last minute changed all my original plans, this is the final chapter most likely, unless maybe an epilogue??) But ahh, yeah..**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: blah blah I own nothing, okay cool, that is eatablished :D**

 ** _Annabeth's POV_**

There are times when you're so shocked, it seems like time has frozen.

Everything seems fixated on one instant, mind blurred, spinning, almost throbbing- not in pain, just complete and utter shock. Nothing is clear except for this one, single moment.

Annabeth had arrived at school, telling herself to not let anyone get to her. She was enough, she believed in herself, and that's what mattered. Annabeth had shown up at school, and for once, she didn't look down as other scanned over her. She made her gaze bold and determined, arms crossed, long blonde hair messily pulled up into a ponytail and out of her face. One wouldn't think it was that much of a change. But somehow, just the act of telling herself she was known, simply making eye contact and making herself feel attached to this world, simply doing that had made something in her change.

She had made her way past others, striding with a confidence she had lacked before.

 _I am enough._

She smiled easily at one of the nice girls in her geometry class, receiving a tentative but sweet smile back.

 _I am worthy of being cared about._

She lifted an eyebrow calmly at Luke's group of friends, hiding any fear she had deep inside. They glanced down when they saw her, as though feeling secondhand embarrassment, perhaps even apologetic. Luke had the smart idea of looking away, face reddening slightly.

 _I am noticeable, I always have been, and as long as I believe I can be, I will always have something worth noticing._

She saw Grover nervously leaning against a wall, fiddling with his fingers. When he saw her, he waved, grinning brightly.

 _I am not alone, I never was. I didn't notice before, but I am not alone. There are always those who care, even if it's hard to see them at times._

She joined Grover, starting a small conversation, one full of randomness and teasing insults, the ones only friends exchange.

 _It wasn't always easy, I can admit that. But things do get better. I can get past anything thrown my away. I will._

Grover stopped speaking, nudging Annabeth. She turned her head, and caught sight of why so many around were whispering.

Time had frozen temporarily.

He had no scars, no cuts, nothing to indicate what had happened so recently. His black hair was tousled messily, sticking up at odd angles. His green eyes flickered between people, before catching sight of Annabeth. His mouth quirked slightly at one side, as if uncertain whether to smile or not.

He was beautiful.

And unattainable.

Annabeth fixed a cold look at him, despite slowly making her way towards him. "Perseus Jackson."

Percy continued gazing at her, taking her in. He seemed to almost become more alive the longer he looked at her, his eyes twinkling and body standing up straighter as she approached. He looked hesitant almost. But he mocked her voice, cool and collected. "Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth stopped in front of hin, hearing her heart pump louder. Why did nervousness even lead to more heart palpitations, for crying out loud?!

"Long time no see."

"It has been.. I missed you, Wise Girl."

Annabeth felt her collected facade start shattering at that moment, as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She had to look away, she was going to lose control if she didn't.

A pale skinned guy wearing shades of black and gray was walking beside Hazel behind Percy, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he nodded, while she spewed words and energetically talked. Ah, that must be her cousin (Nico, was it?). She saw Hazel's cousin catch sight of Will Solace, the senior in her grade that was obsessed with biology, and wanted to be in the band so badly, despite sucking at playing instruments. She saw Nico flush at the sight of the lanky blonde teen, before glaring at the ground and looking away.

She saw Grover a little off to the side, so happy to see Percy again. His girlfriend of around 3 years now was there too, Juniper, and he was murmuring excitedly to her, the two huddles close together and laughing softly.

She saw Luke, crossing his arms tightly and flinching at the sight of Percy, Luke's group of annoying but probably well-meaning friends standing infront of him, acting as a barrier.

She saw Thalia struggling to contain her excitement, fists clenched tightly as she gave Annabeth and Percy some space, despite clearly wanting to hug her cousin, and maybe punch him for not letting her know where he was.

She saw all of these things. She filed them away in her brain, for there was time later to think about those things. There was time later she could reminisce on the moment and look at the small details.

Right now, she was going to experience this moment.

"I missed you too, Seaweed Brain. How have you been?"

Percy looked down at her the 3 inches between their heights seeming so huge at how close together they were. 1 step closer and 1 tilt of the head, and they'd be kissing.

"I've been great. And I have a feeling things are only going to get better."

"Yeah? How so?"

They were somehow a miniscule amount closer, and Annabeth was looking straight at his gorgeous sea green eyes.

"Well, I'm hoping a lot of things happen."

He moved his hand gently to rest on Annabeth's shoulder, brushing aside a stray strand of golden hair not pulled into her ponytail.

"For one, I'm hoping my asshole of a stepdad gets imprisoned and I never have to see him again in this or any lifetime."

He let his other hand drift to her waist, and Annabeth couldn't bring herself to move it away. She did, however, let herself wrap her arms loosely around his neck.

"Second, I'm hoping my teachers don't make me do any make up work, and that my swimming hasn't gotten worse," he chuckled softly.

Annabeth's right hand drifted to bury her fingers in his dark, soft hair. She felt herself grin at how adorable his laugh was. God, she was so soft on the inside.

He said nothing for a moment, so Annabeth prompted him, slightly nervous for aome inexplicable reason. "And third?"

He looked at her steadily. "And third, I'm hoping you forgive me enough to let me kiss you."

She distantly heard some angry sputters nearby, probably Rachel and Calypso. "I suppose you could try, and we'd see how I react."

"Oh really, you suppose?" Percy was even closer, only a breath away.

"Consider it a science experiment." Annabeth closed the last gap between their lips, her arms tugging at his neck to make him lean down enough to kiss her.

It must have looked ridiculous, straight out of a Disney movie. The nerdy girl reuniting with the popular guy, kissing him when surrounded by so many people. The only thing that was needed was some cheesy music with an inspiring message, and it would have fit right into a Disney movie. People were no doubt judging them, annoyed by PDA.

Annabeth couldn't bring herself to care. She was done letting what other people might be thinking affect her life and her choices. She was enough, and had friends who made her feel important. Because she was, even though for so long she'd felt alone.

It was pretty hard to consider herself alone when she felt Percy's lips pressing against her, his arms around her waist and hers around his neck. His hair was soft amidst her fingers, and she couldn't help but kiss him again and again and again.

Later on, she'd worry about her other problems. Later on, she would get the whole story out of Percy. But right now?

Right now she was going to enjoy the moment. And if it was in Percy's arms? So be it.

 ** _Percy's POV_**

As luck would have it, it was a Wednesday.

Percy had always hated Wednesdays. The middle of the week, the one no one seemed to notice, the ones when his stepdad would come home more enraged than usual. The days Percy would have to hide his fear more carefully, the days it would hurt to act okay.

But maybe Wednesdays didn't always have to be so bad.

After all, Annabeth Chase had kissed him this Wednesday. Luke had left them be, his friends were all there and didn't press for details, overjoyed to have him there. Even his swim coach simply patted him on the back and told him he was glad to have him back.

Yes, Wednesdays might have been the overlooked day of the week. Yes, people might have ignored them, might have hated them even, from being too far from the coming weekend and too far from the past one. Sure, Wednesdays seemed unimportant, and sure, they seemed to be just another day.

But Wednesdays were just as important as any other day, when it came down to it. They had the ability to be lifechanging, in the best ways as well as the worst. Maybe they were overlooked at times, but that did not mean they were unimportant.

"You're a Wednesday."

Annabeth looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"Wednesdays are always so underrated. But my most life changing moments seemed to more often than not be Wednesdays."

"Percy?"

"Sure, Wednesdays aren't perfect. But they are just as incredible as any other day. They are just as noticed as any other day. And just because they're in the middle of the week doesn't mean they blend in. They stand out. Like you."

Annabeth stared at him, frozen before letting out a groan and nudging him. "You're such a sap."

"But I'm your sap."

"Touché."

 **Short, sweet ending :D**

 **I hope you enjoyed that, let me know in a review if you'd like an epilogue. I had a plan for the fic but last minute just chucked the plan out the window and ended it sooner than expected.. wow, it's been a long journey.. This was probably the best fic with an actual sort of plot that I've written...**

 ***tears up* but all good things must come to an end**

 **Ahhh, anyways, I can't believe this is over ahh!! (If you have any fic ideas you'd like written by me, let me know in a review, I'll probably tweak it a little but I'm up for writing new things)**

 **Now for the review:**

TheOriginalPercabethChild: **I'm so glad you liked it! Your reviews and constant love for this fic honestly made me so happy and kept me from giving up on it, so thank you so so much!! I really hope you liked this final chapter :') Once again, thank you!!!**

 **If you'd like an epilogue, leave a review! Other than that, thank you all so much, keep your eyes open for any new fics I may or may not be writing o.0 XD**

 **As always, I love criticism, as long as it's constructive!**

 **~ FandomQueen713**


	8. Epilogue

**Hi, it's FandomQueen713 with an epilogue :)**

 **Uh, just letting anyone know, I've moved more onto archiveofourown as of now. I will possibly write PJO fics there too, but either way, my time with is done for the most part :'). I will probably finish up a couple ongoing fics, but aside from that... aghh I guess it'll be a bye. Thank you all so much for your support!!**

 **Anyways, this will be basically just fluff tbh.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, blep**

 ** _Annabeth's POV, 2 years later_**

She curled into his embrace, speculating on everything that happened that had led her to this point.

Annabeth Chase was in college, got a scholarship because of her abilities in track, and - perhaps most importantly- was surrounded by loving friends and her boyfriend.

Percy Jackson loved her, and she him.

Annabeth had always wanted stability in her life. Ever since she faded in her family's eyes, she felt too invisible to be noticed, to even have something stable in her life. When she was younger, she thought her friendship with Thalia and Luke would be that stable point in this life where she was whisked about, insignificant and unimportant. But her friendship with Luke had definitely fallen, and hers with Thals was.. frayed. Annabeth loved Thalia, she was like a sister to her, after all. But it was definitely not as strong as it had once been.

Later on, Annabeth figured her constancy could be found in track. Running - the slap of feet against ground, a set finish line and goal to aim for, something so simple to understand - it was a point of constancy in her life. Because of track, Annabeth had had a sense of where to go and what to do with her life, it gave her a sense of purpose.

But who knew how long running would be a thing for her? It was all temporary, was it not? Eventually, she wouldn't be able to run as much. Eventually, if she did end up as an architect too, she would be replaced by more capable ones, with newer and better structure ideas.

But her relationship with Percy Jackson? As "love-struck hopeful teenage girl" as it sounded, Annabeth had hope this could be her stable point, a forever part of her life.

Because God, Annabeth loved him.

She smiled against his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her, their legs tangled beneath the blankets. They shared a dorm room at Bacchus University, and after over 2 years together, Annabeth could confidently say he was going to be hers forever.

Annabeth leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss against his neck, letting her arms hug Percy tighter. Percy murmured softly, blinking his eyes wearily open and looking down at his girlfriend. He smiled slightly, kissing the top of her head affectionately.

"Seaweed Brain?"

"Yes, Wise Girl?"

"I love you." The words came to her so easily and casually. She had always struggled with saying love, because there was this underlying fear laced beneath the words, that if she loved someone- be it platonic, romantic, or familial- they'd only leave sooner. But Percy? She had a feeling he would stick with her.

"Love you too."

Two years into this relationship. Two years of many more to come.

And despite how unknown the future was, Annabeth knew that this, this was going to last.

They got married on a Wednesday, after 6 years of being together. Annabeth was an Olympic silver medalist in track. Percy had become a swim coach at a high school. They weren't always at the same place, but it was a healthy stable relationship. When Annabeth popped the question- because screw society's gender norms, Annabeth loved Percy and she was going to propose- Percy's acceptance was with no hesitation.

They were "sickeningly in love", as others woukd say, and she loved every bit of it. She loved being able to wake up in the morning and have Percy beside her, and be able to kiss him softly awake. She loved when he would take her hand casually as they walked together, loved when he would pull her into a spin for no reason other than to dance on the grass to their own tune.

She loved _him_ , every part, no matter how annoying or charming others may find it.

"High school sweethearts." "True love." "Iconic couple." "Two idiots in love" were just a few labels thrown around by others at the sight of Percy and Annabeth.

Annabeth preferred a different one, one that fit them better. Percy agreed.

"Soulmates"

Gabe was in prison and when he was released, he kept his distance from Percy.

Nico confessed about his crush to Will Solace, after 4 years of mutual pining between them. Literally, no one was surprised other than the two of them when the two let everyone know about their relationship. (Annabeth honestly thought they'd been together for years by that point, so apparently the two were completely oblivious idiots.)

Jason and Piper broke up at age 24, staying best friends and platonic soulmates. They had different priorities in life, and that was okay. Piper got in touch with a kind guy she met in college and they ended up marrying. Jason pursued dreams of being an astronaut, and ended up in space, becoming the first human to land on Jupiter.

Their squad never did lose touch, but they all did end up in different ways.

But Annabeth had Percy eternally.

And that was all she could have ever wanted.

The scars on her thighs marked a harder time, a worse time. And sure, it got hard to continue at times. But Percy was there to remind her that things would get better. There were slumps at times, life wasn't always perfect. But it was those small moments, the moments of happiness in between worth living for.

So she did.

 **That's the end of Wednesdays. Thank you all so much for everything. I'm RedQueen713 on ao3, if you ever want to look at other fics lol (I don't have many posted yet)**

 **Favorite and review**

 **~ FandomQueen713**


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